When employees are allowed to choose their preferred shifts, they tend to perform exceptionally well.Unfortunately, it is not logical to allow employees to only work their preferred shifts. But with the right tactics, an employer can always find ways to honor shift preferences without paralyzing normal business operations.It’s these tactics that separate the managers who look pro’s versus those that look like amateurs.

1. HOW TO MANAGE EMPLOYEE SHIFT PREFERENCES LIKE A PRO
There are many benefits that come with allowing employees to choose their shifts, and they include
increased productivity and a lower rate of absenteeism. Unfortunately as much as any manager would
love to allow each and every employee to choose his or her preferred shift, it is not possible as it can
interrupt the day to day operations of even the most established business out there. However, with
the right employee scheduling software and the right employee scheduling tactics, a modern
manager can occasionally find ways to enable his or her employees work their preferred shifts.
Creating open shifts
Most employee scheduling software feature tools that enable managers to create and post open
shifts. Employees are then notified of available open shifts via email or push notifications and are
allowed to bid on the shifts. After giving the employees enough time to place their bids, the manager
can then come back to his scheduling software to determine the number of employees required to fill
in the empty slots so as to approve or reject the bids accordingly. Using the same employee
scheduling software, the manager will send notifications to all employees who placed their bids to let
them know if their bids were accepted or not.
When creating open schedules, premium employee scheduling software enables the manager to
switch off “automatic publishing”. This way, any shift changes remain closed to the employees and
only become visible when the manager is done.

2. Allow occasional shift swaps
Allowing employees to swap or trade shifts occasionally is also another way of allowing them to work
their preferred shifts. However, shift swapping can be confusing to both management and staff alike.
Therefore, shift trades should only be authorized by the manager or the supervisor, who after
authorizing the swap, should update it via the shift scheduling app/scheduling software for all
employees to view.
Most shift scheduling software programs will enable employees and managers to open a
conversation between them regarding schedule changes, shift swaps, and any other related issues.
This means that it is possible to address any swap request and availability changes through an
employee scheduling software.
Offering abandoned shifts
Sometimes, employees are forced by circumstances to abandon their assigned shifts. When an
employee feels that he or she is unable to honor an assigned shift, he or she can notify the manager
via the company’s shift scheduling app. The manager can then offer abandoned shift to other
employees. This will give at least one employee an opportunity to work a preferred shift.
Article Summary: -
When employees are allowed to choose their preferred shifts, they tend to perform exceptionally
well. Unfortunately, it is not logical to allow employees to only work their preferred shifts. But with
the right tactics, an employer can always find ways to honor shift preferences without paralyzing
normal business operations. It’s these tactics that separate the managers who look pro’s versus those
that look like amateurs.
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