b. When would you distribute this roster? 50 words

The staff should be informed one to two weeks before their shift. The reason why they should know their schedule earlier is so that they could prepare for it, or if there will be unexpected changes that will happen if they won't be available during that time, a substitute staff can fill the schedule.

c. How would you communicate (or distribute) this roster to your staff? (50 words)

Since everybody is now wirelessly connected, it is more efficient to distribute it online like e-mail, social media, or via a roster software where they can be notified about their schedule instantly. After listing down the choices, I would consider notifying my staff through a software and app where they can see their schedule conveniently.

TASK 3a. How would you record the actual shift hours that your staff worked? (100 words)

I would record it using a device where their time in and time out marks will be recorded. The restaurant can provide biometrics where their attendance will be automatically recorded in real-time quickly with the use of their fingerprint. For example, if their schedule is from 12:00PM to 3:00PM and 6:00PM-10:00PM, they should time in at 12 noon and time out at 3pm. For their next shift at night, the same procedure will be followed. If biometric devices are not available, a logbook would be handy, which will be kept and monitored by the restaurant manager.

b. Identify and briefly describe one type of rostering software that could be used in the restaurant. (100 words)

Roster Plus is a cloud-based, multi-featured paid roster software which can be accessed from any smartphone or tablet. It can be used by the manager, as well as employees. It enables the manager to digitally input timesheets and publish it to the staff. Its notable features are staff leave requests, timesheet recording, and attendance checking. Roster plus has a facial recognition feature which is a good substitute to expensive biometric devices. What is good about this app is that employees and managers can communicate with each other easily through the app, and each employee is instantly reminded about their shift.

TASK 4

a. Outline some of the issues you had in developing your roster? For example did you have enough staff to roster effectively? Do you have the best mix of staff in terms of status, skills and availability? 150 words

Developing a roster can be quite tricky, since you have to consider multiple factors before you plot their timesheets. One single mistake can lead to conflicts resulting to unexpected cost. I have had some difficulties when it came to equally distributing the work time for the casual employees. Also, it was a challenge assigning a specific time for each employee, considering the varying amount of demand for each day. Good thing I was given sufficient information about the employee like times where they are not available, specialization in bartending, and preferred shift. In summary, I was able to assign a variety of staff in terms of status, skill, and availability. Considering the minimum demand of staff per day, I think a moderate efficiency would be achieved with the ratio of 1:20, but maybe it can be improved more if the manager could try modifying it a little, depending on the demand.

b. What are some of the ways you could improve your roster in terms of minimizing wage costs, maximizing the use of staff, and ensuring quality service levels? (150 words)

Customer satisfaction, reducing labor costs and efficiency should be the primary goals whenever we develop a roster. I can improve my roster by gathering more specific data about the demand on particular times of the day, so I can assign the proper count of staff. In addition, I can make my roster more effective after observing the staff, their strengths, weaknesses, working style, and other specific qualities that I can keep in mind in order to develop a more optimized schedule. For example, if a casual staff who is open to any schedule is assigned to an afternoon shift but later found out to be drowsy during that time, it’s best to suggest to him or her a night shift to find out if it would boost productivity. I could also improve my roster by gathering feedback from my staff at the end of the week if they are satisfied with it or not.

c. How can you make the process of rostering easier and more accurate? (100 words)

I can improve the accuracy of my roster by getting to know more about my team. I should acquire a detailed list of the employees, which includes information such as their relevant skills, and availability. One must also be knowledgeable whether a staff is full-time, part-time or casual. In addition, I should be aware about days where they are not available so I can adjust the roster; thus, regular contact is essential in order to keep updated with the staff. Lastly, the staff should be able to pick their desired schedule, and the manager should distribute to each one of them a copy as soon as possible.