The Ultimate Guide to How Hourly Workforces Work SCHEDULING

Transcription

1 2012 The Ultimate Guide to How Hourly Workforces Work SCHEDULING

2 About the Guide Your people have the biggest impact on your success and how you manage them makes all the difference. Happy employees create happy customers, meaning higher retention, productivity and revenue for your brand. But what s the secret to making and keeping your team happy The conducts its annual How Hourly Workforces Work survey for an in-depth look at people-management processes, satisfaction and trends in the service industry. It s the industry s most comprehensive report on what businesses are using today to manage their employees, how happy they are with these efforts and what it all means for you. What does it mean for you Our Ultimate Guide will help you: Understand what s going on and changing in your industry Pick-up best practices and technologies Benchmark your brand against the industry and your competition In this report For most managers, dealing with the weekly schedule is a dreaded task. Find out what s causing service-industry organizations the most frustration and why in our Ultimate Scheduling Guide. Part 3 provides an in-depth look at how businesses like yours create, share and manage employee shift schedules today. What s in it for you Discover if your labor management methods are on-track or out-of-date, and pick-up best practices from the best-of-the-best on how to increase efficiency, satisfaction and cost-savings with scheduling technology. 2

3 Extra-large companies are 3.7x more likely to use online systems to create shift schedules than small ones The majority of service-industry businesses use paper/manual methods to create weekly shift schedules. Because they typically have far fewer employees, small companies are most likely to use traditional methods; three out of four small organizations create schedules by paper. Conversely, larger businesses are 117% more likely to use a talent management system; these organizations need an online system to coordinate availabilities, balance skill levels and ensure compliance across multiple locations and large workforces. Small Extra-Large Paper/Manual 76% Individual Software 12% 895 total respondents Outside Consultant 47% Paper/Manual 38% Other 6% Not sure Talent Management 6% Not sure 6% Talent Management 2% Outside Consultant 1% Other Individual Software 0% 3

4 ~2/3 of companies distribute employee schedules via a printout Despite the fact that two out of three businesses still print weekly schedules forcing employees to call or come in to get their shifts 67% believe their scheduling processes are convenient for team members. Schedule accessibility and flexibility are two of the most important factors in recruiting, engaging and retaining today s hourly employees. Online and mobile methods offer employee these benefits, as well as enable employers to prevent overtime, optimize shifts and save time; 0% of respondents using these methods have difficulty completing day-to-day tasks. Automated 16% 12% Other/Not Sure 9% Printout 6 Part of the problem 2/3 of businesses with 100%+ turnover think their scheduling is convenient for employees Businesses that distribute schedules via an online system are 47% happier with their customer service 4

5 Extra-large organizations are 3x more likely than small ones to offer employees mobile and online schedule-management tools Overall, the majority of service-industry businesses manages scheduling changes and communicates updates in person or by paper, such as writing a note or scratching something off the posted schedule. Larger organizations are more likely than small to incorporate real-time scheduling features like online accessibility and/or shift trading via a mobile app. Surprisingly, small companies are 245% more likely to use mobile methods than extra-large ones, but this most likely reflects smaller businesses greater use of mobile calls and texts, rather than a smartphone app or IVR system. Automated solutions like individual software systems and talent management systems incorporate some or all of these methods, providing the highest levels of scheduling efficiency and convenience. Small Manage Shift Process Extra Large 67% Paper or In-person 58% 12% Exchange with Manager 5% 7% Private Exchange with Co-worker 5% Companies using online systems are 340% more efficient in completing day-to-day tasks than those that don t allow employees to manage schedules 1% Mobile Individual Software Talent Management 1% 16% 4% Don t Allow 1% 4% Other/Not Sure 10% 5

6 7 out of 10 companies are happy with their scheduling processes overall Small businesses are 1.5x more likely than large ones to be very satisfied with their scheduling processes. Because large companies have bigger workforces, and thus, more to keep track of and the majority still manage everything manually these organizations report the highest dissatisfaction levels across the board, including for scheduling convenience, flexibility and overall satisfaction. Satisfied with Overall Workforce Scheduling Agree Somewhat Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Somewhat Disagree Disagree 34% 35% 20% 8% 2% 6

7 Finding replacements for sick and absent employees is the most difficult scheduling task for companies today Nearly two-thirds of businesses don t think finding shift replacements is easy, and only 7% consider the task very easy. Because so many organizations use paper/manual processes to manage schedules (65%), filling open shifts at the last minute is especially difficult. Online and mobile solutions, however, allow managers to instantly communicate with all available team members and coordinate replacements quickly. Controlling labor costs is the second most challenging task for serviceindustry businesses, with 64% of companies finding it difficult to do so. Online talent management systems connect all people-management systems and business data, so scheduling is more efficient, compliant and consistent company-wide. Overall Ease of Scheduling Task Easy Not Easy 6 37% 75% 25% 58% 42% Controlling Labor Costs Finding Replacements for Sick or Absent Employees Balancing Skill Levels on Each Shift 7

8 Communicating shift changes and time-off requests is 42% easier with an online system than with an individual software system Finding replacements for sick and absent employees is the No. 1 scheduling challenge for today s service-industry business and it seems the problem s in the process. Companies using paper/manual processes have the most difficulty managing shift changes and time-off requests, compared to those using any other method. Methods that require manager coordination like paper/manual, and text cause more difficulty than automated solutions. Managing shift changes and requests via an online talent management system is the easiest method; more than eight out of 10 respondents using an online system find this task easy. These systems may include online, mobile app, IVR and other schedule-management options; as a result, scheduling is more flexible, convenient and efficient. Ease of Scheduling Task by Process 81% 74% Talent Management 55% 65% 60% Individual Software 4 68% 61% Paper/ Manual 45% Communicating Changes Managing Changes and Requests Coordinating Availabilities and Preferences 8

9 Methodology Definitions The conducts its annual How Hourly Workforces Work survey to gauge people-management processes, satisfaction, challenges and trends in the service industry. For the 2012 survey, PMI used a combination of primary and secondary research methods to determine how businesses today manage hiring, training, scheduling, performance, recognition and communication tasks and initiatives; and the impact these processes have on satisfaction, efficiency, effectiveness and business success. A team of researchers compiled and analyzed nearly 900 responses from service-industry stakeholders across the country, over a period of eight weeks. Only fully completed surveys were considered in analysis. About PMI The (PMI) is the thought leadership source for the HR industry, PeopleMatter and service-focused organizations worldwide. PMI provides extensive research and education tools to help businesses and individuals understand, manage and motivate their most important asset: their people. Access the on the Web at Up next In our next Ultimate Guide, we take a look at how service-industry businesses like yours engage, evaluate and communicate with employees today. Find out the most effective and efficient ways to track performance, reward and motivate top performers, and retain your best people including how Social Media and mobile tools are changing the game and how you can start playing today! To streamline its findings, PMI defines certain results including business size, methods and challenge/satisfaction levels in grouped and/or general terms. These definitions apply throughout the entire report, and any exceptions are noted otherwise. Business size Small companies, businesses, brands and/ or organizations refer to entities that report having 1-50 employees; Medium, employees; Large, 300-1,000; and Extra-large includes any with more than 1,000 employees. General or overall findings include results from all business sizes. Smaller refers to small and medium-sized businesses, while Larger includes large and extralarge businesses. Respondents Due to the large number of respondents from foodservice and small companies, some findings are slightly skewed toward the opinions and results of this demographic. Small companies generally report lower turnover rates and typically find tasks less challenging than larger organizations. As a result, some findings may not be consistent with industry averages or larger survey findings. Where applicable, standard figures are provided and noted. Challenge/Satisfaction levels Challenge and satisfaction levels are measured by respondents difficulty and agreement ratings to provided statements. For challenges, respondents could rate statements as Difficult, Somewhat Difficult, Neither Difficult nor Easy, Somewhat Easy and Easy. Statements are considered a challenge or difficulty or not easy for all respondents who do not choose Somewhat Easy and Easy. Efficiency is calculated from difficultylevel differences. Challenge/Satisfaction levels (cont.) Similarly, respondents rated satisfaction by selecting their agreement level for provided statements. Respondents could rate their level of agreement as: Agree, Somewhat Agree, Neither Agree nor Disagree, Somewhat Disagree and Disagree. Statements are considered a challenge or difficulty, and respondents are considered to not agree, for all respondents who do not choose Somewhat Disagree and Disagree. Grouped methods As a general rule, traditional methods or processes refer to paper, manual and/or face-to-face task-completion or management. Electronic and Automated techniques include individual software systems and talent management systems. , mobile and social media method can also be grouped under Electronic, Automated and Online where applicable. Mobile methods may refer to technology that allows users to complete and manage tasks away from a home or office computer. Mobile methods may include , Webbased systems, smartphone apps and more. Rounding Due to rounding, some figures may not total 100 percent. Additionally, some questions allow respondents to choose multiple answers, and totals may exceed 100 percent. 9