Handling Last Minute Schedule Changes

One of the headaches any operations manager faces is dealing with last minute schedule changes. There are a number of reasons for those changes. The most common is when someone calls off at the last minute. You find yourself scrambling to get a replacement out to the site. All too often the only criteria are that it be a warm, living body who will agree to go right out. That is how you lose profits, upset customers and get in trouble with your boss. “What, you sent Jones out to the chemical plant? He’s a retail specialist who doesn’t know anything about Hazmat. Not only that but he’s already got 15 hours of overtime in just this pay period.” Your boss doesn’t want to hear that you were half asleep because the call came in at midnight. Nor does he care that you don’t have your employee files at home with you. He expected you to send the right employee out to the site without incurring additional costs.

Snap Schedule’s built-in features solve this problem. It allows you to pre-define your employee’s skills, locations they can work, and limits on scheduled work hours. You can even setup custom fields that detail the employee’s preferences for shift assignments or their desire for overtime. Some of these fields will automatically prevent your scheduling an employee unless you override. Other fields allow you to preview an employee before you contact them for an assignment. Once you’ve decided on a potential replacement the employee’s contact information is right there at your fingertips.

The changes you make are automatically reflected in the end of week payroll. The employee who called off has their hours cut on the spot. The replacement employee has their hours automatically added to the end of week totals.

You’ve not limited to your office with Snap Schedule Premium either. Just put your database in the cloud or using Snap Data Service and you will be able use the Snap Schedule Premium Windows App to access your scheduling data from anywhere. That means you don’t need to carry all your employee files with you when you are away from the office. From any web browser or mobile device, your employee can access their work schedule, update their availability, request time off, bid on open shifts, and more.

But why even worry about those midnight calls? The amount of information on the program allows for a night supervisor or even the dispatcher to make last minute changes. The only reason to wake up the operations manager is if an override is needed. The end result is that everyone will sleep better.