Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Scheduling

This is topic Scheduling in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Kevin Wale (Member # 1851) on 11-08-2003, 06:35 PM:

I'm curious how you guys schedule employees. Do you put up a schedule and they find thier own replacements if they can't work that day, or do you have them fill out availability sheets every week? Or something else entirely.

Posted by Chris Liczbinski (Member # 1957) on 11-08-2003, 07:02 PM:

At our 15 screen theater we post the weekly (Friday to Thursday) schedule the Monday before. Employees turn in avaliability sheets when the season changes (ie. back to school, christmas vacation, summer) If they need to request off we have forms always stacked in a file folder next to the schedule. Request off forms are to be turned in Sunday before noon so we can get the schedule done by Monday. It works out pretty well.

Posted by Franklin Armstrong (Member # 1448) on 11-08-2003, 08:45 PM:

That is the same way I did it

Posted by Lance C. McFetridge (Member # 95) on 11-08-2003, 09:47 PM:

I do a month at a time. Requests for time off in by the 17th,
They have to get a replacement no matter what. Never a problem.

Posted by Marcial Feliciano Ramos (Member # 1989) on 11-08-2003, 10:16 PM:

[ 11-13-2003, 11:33 AM: Message edited by: Rachel Gilardi ]

Posted by Marcial Feliciano Ramos (Member # 1989) on 11-08-2003, 10:17 PM:

We first talk to each other to see if someone can do that day. If not, we have to talk with the manager one week early. Our schedule is made by season (high or low).

Posted by Blake Zaugg (Member # 1455) on 11-09-2003, 12:13 AM:

We do the same as Chris in that we get their availability a few times durring the year. I try to have at least two weeks done up ahead of time. Much more than that and there are just too many changes for us. We run our schedule Sunday - Saturday.

Posted by Kevin Wale (Member # 1851) on 11-09-2003, 08:15 PM:

I wish I could schedule two weeks in advance, but we have parties during the day and I have no way of knowing when they will be that far in advance.

At the theatre in Oklahoma I worked at, we just put up the schedule and they had to find thier own replacements if they needed off. It worked fairly well and certainly better than what is happening now.

I'm going to try and talk the owner into letting me go to a combination of things I've read here and what we did there. The having to call everyone and hear all the "I can't work here or there... blah blah..." it's getting old and inevitably it always ends up one day where we are a person short because there aren't enough people to go around as much as they want off.

Posted by Blake Zaugg (Member # 1455) on 11-10-2003, 02:00 AM:

We too often have parties in the daytime. We are fortunate to have a few employees who are very flexible and eager to come in whenever they are needed.
For all the employees we require that they be available to work at least 2 of the three busy days (Tues, Fri Sat). That doesn't mean that they will always be scheduled those days, but the staff need to realize that the weekends are when we are busiest and that is when they are needed the most.
If I ever start to feel the pinch that we might be short, then I know it is time to hire, most of the time, staff hear that I am going to hire and that realize that equals less shifts for them so then they weigh out that they need to suck it up and work.

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 11-10-2003, 04:36 PM:

Blake - you should never stop hiring - what happens if the perfect employee turned in an application while you were "not hiring." Then someone else gets that employee. If you are constantly hiring, in theory, your staff is constantly improving.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 11-10-2003, 04:43 PM:

Mike-although I understand what you are saying-that one should be constantly accepting and reviewing applications-I think what Blake meant by "...time to hire," is to actually start calling applicants for interviews.

I mean, one shouldn't be constantly adding new staff, that assumes an unacceptable turnover rate. Before Haloween, before May, and possibly before September (depending on how many staff members you are losing to college/school obligations) are the only times of the year that major hiring needs to be done. If you are hiring more than one person a month outside of these periods I think its time to ask yourself why you have such a high turnover and try and correct the problem if possible.

Posted by Erika McCarty (Member # 2006) on 11-12-2003, 08:31 PM:

We do our schedule the same way Chris does.
Plus, I've seen many a good prospective employee get turned away by seasonal 'not hiring'...argh!

Posted by Blake Zaugg (Member # 1455) on 11-19-2003, 03:33 PM:

Yes, Dustin that is exactly what I meant. We are always accepting resumes, but interviews are only done when we are needing to add someone. Having full a full complement of staff and then adding more just because they have good qualifications doesn't make sense to me. It rocks the boat realistically most of our hiring is for entry level jobs...selling pop and popcorn (it's not rocket science).

I disagree with the constantly hiring = constant improving though. I would much rather keep a current trained employee than have to hire a new one and start from scratch. Training a new employee is time consuming, and expensive. If you are constantly adding a new staff member every month, the only reason they are improving is because they started out at 0 and can't get any less knowledgeable.

99% of our employees start out in the concession and then get moved around to other positions (tickets, usher, etc..)
Is that what most everyone else does too?

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 11-30-2003, 03:24 PM:

quote:
I'm curious how you guys schedule employees. Do you put up a schedule and they find their own replacements if they can't work that day,

That's what happens where I work. Then on each morning a rota is put up detailing where each member of staff will be working for the day (concessions, box office, ticket check etc).

Posted by R. Andrew Diercks (Member # 1725) on 11-30-2003, 11:37 PM:

I schedule 2 weeks in advance. If there are days requested off it is mentioned to me and I write it on the calendar. If too many try to request the same day off, I say no. If they don't come in, they are gone. I am very flexible with changing schedules, my staff is very well trained and all will do fine on a given shift. They find they're own replacements and I never say no to that. I expect the same flexibility in return when someone is sick or I need extra help for parties, etc. I haven't had a problem yet. If someone is a problem they no longer work for me. I always take applications but only hire if I need someone. I have had many wait or leave another job when I finally did need someone. I guess we have built a good reputation as a place to work.
I suppose the above sounds a bit strict, but I praise the hell out of my great staff and try my best to take care of them.
Bottom line, we have a fun business and a fun job if the employees like to be there, if they don't go work at McDonald's.