Tips and tricks to take the headache out of scheduling

Juggling your time, running a business and managing employees time schedules can be a nightmare – and that’s before the sunnier months arrive, and employee absences increase!
By implementing absenteeism policies and clarifying expectations you could save yourself a lot of time, as well as that impending headache.

Scheduling

Provincial and Territorial employment standards do not provide a lot of leeway for employer discretion, but one exception is scheduling. Your employees' contract should outline their schedule, and although it's important to try and adhere to this, you have the right to schedule staff as needed provided they have been given notice in advance.

An employee cannot decline a shift without a good reason; this must, however, be stated in the employment contract. Additionally, unless otherwise stated in the employment contract, an employee does have the right to decline overtime hours.

Policies

If the employment contracts you currently have in place don't cover this, you might consider implementing policies specific to your workplace surrounding scheduling. These policies can be put in place at any time and should be specific to your business, and industry expectations.

Employees should be aware that scheduling is at the employers' discretion. There should also be expectations regarding shift coverage when an employee is unable to make their shift. Additionally, you may want to address expectations surrounding absenteeism and have a policy prepared regarding sick days and medical notes in place.

CFIB has several policy templates you can take advantage of, including our Attendance and Sick Day Policy.

Outlining expectations

Outlining your expectations for your employees and informing them of what to expect from the company surrounding scheduling, can lead to smoother, more efficient operations, and a generally happier workplace.

If you have any questions or would like help drafting, or personalizing these policies and contracts, please contact Business Resources  today at ms.bc@cfib.ca or 1.888.234.2232