Understanding the Limits of Convenience – Friday Distraction
Regular readers of this blog know I’m a planner. I plan everything. I think I’d even plan spontaneity.
That’s why I couldn’t help but laugh at this Time Well Spent from our friends at Kronos. It reminded me that, even though we can do a lot of things with planning, there are some things that just shouldn’t be planned. Nor should people be penalized for making last-minute changes to a plan.
Allow employees to make last-minute changes. I completely understand that our business operations rely on employees showing up. But we all know that there are times when an employee might want to take the day off and we could get by without them. Having a flexible scheduling system is a win for everyone.
Make sure employees know the limits of the system. The cartoon points out that you can’t schedule the tide. Every system will have some limitations. That doesn’t make it a bad system. But letting employees know how the system works, will help them use it properly.
Tell employees the consequences of using the system incorrectly. Flexible systems are wonderful, but in addition to telling employees all of the terrific features, it’s important to share the consequences of using the system incorrectly or inappropriately. It could have an impact on the operation. With convenience comes responsibility.
One of the major advantages in using technology is convenience. We can create schedules, distribute them to employees, and allow employees to make changes. All using technology.
None of this is designed to scare anyone away from flexible technology. In fact, technology solutions with lots of options is exactly what we want. We can customize the solution to our organization. But everyone needs to understand the ground rules: how the system works, how employees are expected to use the system, and what happens if employees don’t use the system appropriately.
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