5 Scheduling Mistakes That Are Costing You Money

1. Over-Scheduling During Slow Periods

One of the most common (and expensive) mistakes is having too many people on the clock when foot traffic is low. If your Tuesday afternoons are consistently quiet, you don't need a full crew.

The fix: Track your busy and slow periods over a few weeks. Use that data to build smarter schedules that match staffing levels to actual demand.

2. Under-Scheduling During Rushes

The flip side of over-scheduling. Nothing kills customer experience (and employee morale) faster than being slammed with half the staff you need.

The fix: Know your peak hours and plan for them. A tool like Skedji can help you spot patterns and make sure you're covered when it counts.

3. Ignoring Employee Availability

Building a schedule without checking who's actually available is a recipe for no-shows, last-minute swaps, and frustrated staff.

The fix: Collect availability upfront and keep it updated. Skedji lets employees set their own availability so you always know who's good to go.

4. Last-Minute Schedule Changes

Posting the schedule the night before (or worse, the morning of) doesn't give your team time to plan their lives. This leads to call-outs and high turnover.

The fix: Aim to publish schedules at least one week in advance. Consistency builds trust.

5. Relying on Spreadsheets

Excel wasn't built for scheduling. It's error-prone, hard to share, and impossible to update in real time.

The fix: Switch to a dedicated scheduling tool. Yes, we're biased, but seriously — your future self will thank you.

Ready to stop making these mistakes? Skedji is designed to help you avoid every single one. Smart scheduling starts here.