Today I wrote up the store schedule for the next two weeks. Good idea, no, considering I leave next Friday morning for vacation?
There’s no magic to making the schedule. In a way it’s like building with LEGO bricks–this person goes here, that person goes there. But there are limits–payroll is this much, this person has this availability, that person made that schedule request. It’s not a science. It’s an art.
I like the schedule I’ve made, but for the week I’m out of the store on vacation I’ve overspent payroll by seven hours. I can’t see any way to avoid that.
That may sound serious. It’s not. See, the store’s payroll budget is more like a bank account. A deposit of hours is made at the beginning of the month. If I underspend one week I can overspend another. So, next week’s schedule is light on the hours, and the following week is heavy. In the long run there’s a payroll balance.
So, two weeks’ schedules done. By the middle of next week I should make up the schedule for the week after vacation. But not today.