Managing HR in a workplace can be arduous, especially if your business periodically must take on projects that require changing employee hours. In this fast-paced world, many businesses offer round-the-clock services because they serve their target market in more than one geographical location. Consequently, employees must continuously work on rotatory shifts, so their work hours will also be variable.
This situation might be unavoidable; however, a company can take specific measures to ensure that their employees can handle changing their hours in a better way. It is most appropriate to ask your employees before any such measures are taken. However, even before asking, you need to take certain steps involving finding answers to certain vital questions.
Key steps to changing employee hours
Are the employees exempt or non-exempt?
Starting with the process, it is crucial to differentiate exempted employees from non-exempted ones. Exempted employees work at a fixed salary regardless of them putting in extra shift hours. However, non-exempted employees are paid at an hourly rate, and if they go over their limit of weekly hours, they must be compensated for those as well. You may not be able to hire everyone on a fixed salary because that also requires adherence to certain federal laws.
What are the requirements?
Businesses often want to run for a prolonged number of hours and usually have a fixed number of employees to work with. Therefore, it will not solve the problem if everyone is coming and leaving simultaneously. Instead, changing the hours for some of those employees can ensure that your business is open for maximum hours with the same number of employees. Essentially, you must figure out your requirements to find the optimum solutions.
What do the employees want?
You can spend hours and weeks planning and scheduling; if none of your employees agree, it will end in disappointment. Therefore, it is recommended that you consult with your employees before coming to any conclusions. Someone might be willing to come early and leave early, or others might want to work for 10 hours over four days in a week instead of five. The point is, you will never know how to sort out the problem with changing employee hours until you ask them.
Is there an alternative to changing employee hours?
Often, it is good to have alternatives. Although, at times, you must face reality. If the employee hours need to be increased because of a sudden increase in demand or any other reason, you may have to do it. For exempt employees, you can do that without an increase in wages. However, that might result in dissatisfied employees, which can lead to decreased productivity and many other problems.
The best way to avoid a scenario where changing employee hours becomes necessary is by offering something in compensation for their additional services. You can plan a trip or offer them a bonus at the end of the month, reinforcing their loyalty to your company. Get an idea of what they want and take their suggestions seriously, as they are key assets to your organization.
Maintain a clear line of communication
It is never a good idea to keep your employees in the dark by not giving them the true picture. If your business is going through hard times and you need some extra push from your workforce, informing your employees and getting them on the same page is the best way to move forward instead of maintaining a false image. Someone loyal to you will likely stay with you no matter what. Even if you lose a few employees, that may be what’s best for the future.
Clearly explain the reason for changing their hours
Whatever the case, give your employees a solid reason for the change in their working hours because it will affect their routine lives. If they are not convinced, they might start making assumptions, which is something you do not want. Assumptions lead to complicated situations that are disastrous for maintaining a healthy workplace environment. Your employees must understand the reason behind the change and accept it with an open heart for it to make a positive difference.
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