ShiftForce Blog

Whether you’re managing a bustling restaurant, a hotel front desk, or a manufacturing floor, effective communication between shifts can make or break your day-to-day operations. Terms like log book, daily log, and shift log often get used interchangeably, but each has unique benefits and use cases. In this article, we’ll explore these three key tools, how they differ, and why using a comprehensive daily log can be a game-changer for your business.

Creating an 8-hour rotating shift schedule can be challenging but it's essential for businesses that operate around the clock. From ensuring fair workloads to maintaining employee satisfaction, a well-designed schedule can make a significant difference in productivity and morale. This guide will help you build the perfect schedule while addressing common challenges and highlighting the benefits of using scheduling software.

Employee engagement is more than just a buzzword in the restaurant industry; it’s the secret sauce that can turn a good restaurant into a great one. Engaged employees are more productive, provide better customer service, and are more likely to stay with your restaurant long-term. For restaurant managers, fostering a culture of engagement can be a game-changer, leading to higher profits, smoother operations, and a more cohesive team. 

Employee turnover is a significant challenge in the restaurant industry, where the fast pace and demanding environment can often lead to burnout and dissatisfaction. Reducing turnover isn’t just about keeping employees longer; it’s about creating a workplace where they want to stay.

The restaurant industry is notorious for its high employee turnover rates, which can significantly impact a business's bottom line. According to the National Restaurant Association, the turnover rate in the restaurant sector is nearly double that of other industries.  Whether you are a restaurant manager or owner, we'll give you strategies to manage employee engagement and reduce turnover in your restaurant.

As a server, the majority of your income comes from tips. And we're sure you already know, you aren't just a server. You're a party host, you may host from time to time, you manage customer service requests, you have to upsell items, run here and there at the same time, you're never standing still! Every customer you come in contact with is judging you and hopefully pays you based on the service you provided them. Some will tip less than others, and hopefully, we can show you a few ways to reduce that number even more.

For managers who schedule shift-to-shift employees, there is a lot to be taken into consideration. Each week presents itself with new opportunities and challenges- shift changes, availability changes, time off requests, events where more or less staff is needed. You always want to make sure you have enough staff to meet the demands of each shift, but you also want to ensure you aren't overstaffing and increasing your labor costs.

Shift notes help keep everyone updated and provide a record of what happened. Knowing who, what, when, where, how, and why something happened is crucial for the shift-to-shift productivity of your business.

It's an easy way to record everyone in one location for managers to review. There's an old saying for someone starting their shift, "don't go looking for the fire until you've read the daily log notes." Something may be happening for a reason and before jumping right into a shift to take action, take a moment to absorb the information and get a sense of what's happening and why.