Why automate a fixed or rolling rota?
This is a question we are often asked by organisations who utilise fixed rotas to
schedule their staff.
The answer is simple. By not automating the production of their rotas, they are
missing out on some very valuable management benefits.
The Legacy
Here we are, several years into a new millennium and still we find it difficult
to shed the outmoded management practices that we inherited from the previous millennium.
If your staff are rostered on a fixed (or 'rolling') shift rota, the chances are
that one particular person has the unenviable job of rolling the rotas forward every
month and informing the staff about their future shift allocations.
At best, this task is undertaken using a spreadsheet but many organisations (surprisingly,
even hi-tech ones!) still produce their rotas with pencil and paper.
By carefully copying the shifts forward, making sure the shifts are aligned correctly
with the calendar, colouring in individual boxes to highlight particular shift patterns
and slotting in holidays where appropriate, the intrepid 'scheduler' prepares the
next month's rosters.
It may seem a simple task, but these rosters can take several hours to construct,
especially when 'real world' changes have to be taken into account.
The cost-effective alternative
Why use these out-of-date methods, when today's technology can automate the process
for you? You can achieve the same result in minutes, usually for less cost and with
so many additional benefits.
Not only can your rostering process be automated to save time for your scheduler,
but there are also considerable advantages for your staff.
With an automated roster, staff are able to view and print their own rota calendars
online whenever it's convenient for them.
Holiday bookings and planned time-off are all entered into the system and, with
this comprehensive information available, management can ensure there will be adequate
staff cover when needed.
Staff working time can be automatically linked into payroll systems, reducing the
need for costly and error-prone data entry.
The ability to confirm staff attendance against planned working time removes the
need for manual timesheet systems.
Management control
By using the Rotagen rostering system, where online access is always available,
management can take advantage of the comprehensive reporting facilities to extract
information about time worked, compliance with Working Time Directives, holidays
taken, sickness levels, training and other activities.
These reports can be summarised by department, by shift, by staff, by absence and
many more combinations.
Management information like this is just not available when rotas are prepared in
a spreadsheet or on paper.
In today's competitive marketplace, effective staff management tools are vital in
helping to control ongoing costs and to ensure adequate compliance and record-keeping.
Take advantage of Rotagen's flexibility. You can achieve all this and
mix both fixed and demand-driven rotas to meet the changing needs of your organisation,
at any time.
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