When you run a shift-based business, you’ve got a lot on your plate. From juggling demand with staffing and controlling costs, to keeping your teams happy with reliable rotas and balanced shifts, the work doesn’t stop.
And smart staff rostering is a key challenge for many businesses—since 2024 alone, over 1 million UK workers have left their jobs due to lack of flexible rotas and work options. Rushed and unpredictable rotas are a surefire way to create low staff morale and turnover in your business.
That’s where a workforce management solution comes in.
It’s not about filling empty spots in your rotas; it’s about creating a positive work environment and driving employee engagement through rostering that works for your team and your business.
With the right solution, you can improve staff turnover, morale, and your bottom line.
Unpredictable rotas are a recipe for low morale
For both shift workers and managers, unpredictable rotas can greatly impact how people feel about their work. Every last-minute change and messy rotas create confusion and frustration—and that means lower morale and higher burnout.
Not only that, but the time managers spend fixing rotas or juggling shift swaps can lead to higher labour costs that are tough to recover from.
There are four easy ways you can create more predictable rostering that build confidence (and protect your budget).
Give your team visibility into rotas with Deputy, which lets you share rotas and automatically notify employees, so everyone’s in the loop.
Use Shift Swap to empower teams to swap or claim open shifts, so managers don’t over or understaff shifts. Flexible rostering accommodates your team’s lifestyle, while more accurate rostering can help reduce labour costs.
Everyone can stay up to date with rotas and changes with Deputy Messaging, which encourages open communication and helps prevent confusion and frustration.
To keep rotas fair and accurate across the board, Deputy’s Demand Forecasting provides managers with insights into both rostering data and costs, enabling them to adjust rotas based on business trends, staffing needs, sales data, labour percentages, employee feedback, and more.
When employees know their rotas and can rely on them, morale rises, leading to better performance that benefits both your customers and your business.
Stronger teams and better results with fair rotas
When employees know what to expect at work, they show up more engaged and satisfied with every shift. Smart staff rostering helps create predictability for everyone, especially when staff have a say in their rotas.
It’s not just about employee satisfaction, though; in many cases, unpredictable or insufficient rotas can have a serious toll on shift workers—some studies have found that 27% of shift workers have incurred higher travel costs when being called into work on short notice, while 17% have had to pay higher child care costs. It’s crucial for managers to be able to adapt rota planning to work for everyone.
To put this into practice in your own business, here are simple tips to follow:
Let staff set or submit preferred shift times and availability before you build your rotas.
Try micro-scheduling, which can help balance coverage with flexibility; for example, managers can schedule shorter shifts around busy periods, giving employees the shifts they prefer (while still keeping labour costs in check).
Encourage workers to manage their own shifts when they want to swap or claim extra shifts, for more flexibility in rostering.
Share rotas early so teams know what to expect for upcoming shifts; if or when employees need to call in sick or trade shifts, they’ll have the notice they need, so no shift goes understaffed.
Share and communicate changes right away, so everyone’s informed and there’s no confusion around shift coverage.
Recognise the people behind every great shift by giving shoutouts and kudos to your teams. It’s an easy way to share appreciation and strengthen your workplace culture.
Smart rota planning just makes sense
One of the most effective ways to reduce labour costs is to improve rostering, not just because it optimises your budget, but also because it helps ensure that no one’s overworked or underused. Matching staffing to demand can help prevent burnout, reduce overtime, and improve employee morale.
It’s why more shift-based businesses are adopting workforce management solutions. Staff get fairer, more predictable rotas; managers can cut hours spent on manual rostering, and you get peace of mind that you’re not overspending on labour.
For example, employee rostering software lets you:
Plan for peaks in demand so managers can build more predictable rotas that balance staff with demand and support labour cost reductions.
Leverage analytics and insights to spot trends, gaps, and potential issues with rostering that can lead to costly staffing decisions and unfair shifts.
Collect feedback and performance data from shifts so managers know what works, what doesn’t, and the tweaks they need to make to rotas.
Smarter rota planning makes it easier to balance efficiency with empathy—when teams feel supported, and rotas reflect demand, it becomes more natural to create rotas that work for everyone.
How you can get started creating smarter rotas
Creating more effective, predictable rotas is great for both your people and your bottom line, but it doesn’t have to be complicated! With a few simple practices, you can support your teams while driving efficiency across your business.
Start with asking staff for feedback—what’s working, and what’s not?
Use an employee rostering software to consolidate scheduling and communication in one place.
Incorporate data to plan rotas and ensure every shift is fair and staffed accurately (based on factors like demand, feedback, and staffing trends).
Give staff control over coverage and shift swaps, making rostering more flexible for everyone.
When rotas work for your teams, they work for your business, too.
Make every shift a great one
With Deputy’s workforce management solution, you can bring rotas, communication, and shift management into one easy-to-use platform that supports both your people and your business’s goals. Build more predictable rotas, reduce turnover, and make every shift a great one with Deputy.
See why over 385,000 businesses trust Deputy to build better rotas. Book your demo with our team, or start a free trial today.
