October is one of the most demanding months in terms of the number of working hours. Long working hours and changing to winter time can cause confusion, especially in shift companies, where adjusting the schedule becomes a necessity. In such a situation, skillful management of working time becomes crucial — check how to effectively plan your schedule during this intense period.
Creating a Work Schedule
What should be included in the work schedule?
Yes, as a reminder - the work schedule is not only the scheduled hours, but also the key information needed to efficiently manage the team. It should contain information about:
- employee working time schedule — who, when and for how long works;
- days off from work — both regular and public holidays;
- scheduled vacations;
- exceptional situations, such as: sick leave or days on demand;
- working age (counted from the moment the employee started work);
Why is this important?
Thoughtful graphic permits avoiding chaos and provides uniform distribution of work. Breaks between shifts are also important, which must comply with the provisions of the Labor Code. Remember to keep the schedule complete, legal, and supportive of both the company and your employees.
Working Time Management
How to correctly draw up a work schedule?
Every employer has a duty clearly determine how many hours employees should work in a given billing period. Importantly, employees must be provided with rest. According to the regulations, they cannot start work earlier than after 24 hours have elapsed from the previous working day, and each working day must be separated by a minimum of 11 hours of rest. This is essential to avoid fatigue and to ensure efficiency at the highest level.
Working Time Dimension
Distribution of the employee's working time
The dimension of working time is not just numbers on paper — it is laws that are designed to protect both employees and employers. For people employed under an employment contract, everything is clearly spelled out in the Labor Code. The principle is simple: on a full-time basis, the working time must not exceed 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, in an average five-day work week.
Sounds simple? Maybe, but it's worth remembering that this system provides a balance between work responsibilities and private life. Thanks to these regulations, employees are assured that their working hours are clearly defined and will not be excessively exceeded.
Important! A well-thought-out schedule helps avoid work during overtime, which allows your business to avoid additional costs associated with overtime. This will give you more control over your company's expenses and budget.
Working hours in October 2024 - the norm of working time in October
How to calculate it?
Step 1
The basic norm is 40 hours per week. Multiply this number by the number of full weeks in the billing period. This will give you a general outline of the number of hours to work.
Step 2
Add the hours for the working days that are left until the end of the billing period. Be sure to include only working days, that is Monday to Friday.
In October 2024, we 4 full weeks of work and additional 3 working days, which in total gives 184 hours of operation:
40 hours per week x 4 weeks + 8 hours for each of the 3 additional working days
There are no statutory holidays in October, which gives a total of 23 working days and 8 days off.
Know the norms of working time
For part-time workers, the number of hours to be worked shall be proportionally reduced:
- ½ time: 92 hours of work;
- ¼ hours: 46 hours of work;
- ⅛ working time: 23 hours of work;
Reminder! During each month of the year, the number of working days and hours of work may vary - be sure to take this change into account when planning schedules for longer periods.
Trading Sundays in the work schedule
October brings with it a ban on trading every Sunday, which means that stores need to think carefully about the organization of the schedule. Especially the days leading up to non-trading Sundays can prove challenging as Saturdays become much more intense. Therefore, it is worth increasing the number of employees on Saturday afternoons to avoid overloading and to provide customers with a high quality of service.
In turn for restaurants is an excellent opportunity to compensate for the smaller turnover during the week. When planning your schedule for these days, make sure that the shifts are well planted. This is the key moment to meet the needs of customers and achieve the planned results. The better prepared you will be in advance, the lower the risk of chaos and stress in the team. Also remember to be flexible and communicate with the team to take into account the individual limitations and rights of your employees.
Change of Time to Winter
How it affects the work schedule
The last weekend of October is an opportunity for many of us to enjoy an extra hour of sleep. However, for those who work at night, the time change from October 30 to October 31 can mean something completely different — an extra hour at work.
Although for most of us, the shift of the watch is a small detail, for night shift workers it is a real challenge. They have to face prolonged duty, which can affect their well-being and efficiency.
What does it look like in practice?
Let's imagine that you are manager, which arranges a work schedule for a team of night workers. The time change means that their shift from 10pm to 6am suddenly lengthens to nine hours instead of eight. This is not only an extra hour of work, but also potential complications in calculating the salary.
To avoid confusion, it is worthwhile to include this change in the schedule in advance. For example, you can consider dividing this “extra” hour between several employees so that no one has to work more than the planned eight hours. Alternatively, you can schedule an earlier end or a later start of the shift by adjusting the schedule to the new time reality.
The management of such details in the schedule may seem insignificant on the surface, but it is crucial for the comfort of work and the satisfaction of the team.
How to start working with a new work schedule?
The employer is obliged to communicate the work schedule to employees in written or electronic form - and no later than 7 days before the start of work. This allows everyone to plan their responsibilities and private life in advance, which translates into less confusion and better organization.
Moreover, it is worth taking care of the dialogue. Employees should be able to express their opinions and concerns about the schedule — no one wants to feel left out, especially when it comes to combining private and professional life.
Best practices for creating a work schedule
Creating a work schedule is not just a matter of filling in the table — it is crucial to distribute responsibilities evenly so that no one feels overwhelmed and the team can work in harmony. Therefore, it is important for the employer to plan the schedule taking into account skills and availability of employees, avoiding the accumulation of the most difficult tasks at one time.
Moreover, such a schedule must comply with the Labor Code. This means compliance with the rules on rest, working hours and all applicable labor laws. A good graphic designer is one that combines the needs of the company with the comfort of its employees, ensuring efficient and sustainable work.
It is worth considering introduction of the ability to modify the schedule in real time, which will be crucial for informing employees immediately about changes, which will improve communication and efficiency in managing working time and adapting schedules to legal regulations.
Dedicated tools
Creating a work schedule for October can be a difficult task, especially when non-trading Sundays and time changes are involved. Therefore, it is worth using modern tools that will help in efficient time planning. Programs such as Proplanum not only simplifies the process of creating schedules, but also enables better management of human resources, which translates into optimization of overtime and more efficient planning in Your company.
What's more, Proplanum offers advanced analytics that can help you forecast periods of heightened traffic, such as Saturdays before non-trading Sundays. The use of such tools can not only increase customer satisfaction through better service, but also contribute to Optimize operating costs and improve the overall financial performance of the company. A well-thought-out schedule will certainly have a positive effect on the working atmosphere and the effectiveness of the entire team.
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