Every field has its challenges, but the healthcare field in particular deals with a large set of demands from everyone who works in it. This also means that with such high demand, managing overtime can be a challenging task. How do you manage the need for patient care with the need to keep overtime down and employees happy?
One of the simplest ways to do this is by investing in modern online timesheet software and taking advantage of the numerous features it has. It’s about more than just time tracking; there are various ways to reduce overtime and still meet the workload while preserving your personnel for when they are needed most.
Let’s take a look at some ways a clock in and out app can help you better manage healthcare overtime.
Simplify Scheduling
Having to worry about scheduling patients is one thing, but scheduling employees to ensure patient needs are met while keeping your employees happy is a whole different and more challenging process. In the medical field, staffing is crucial at all times so it’s important to know who’s already there, who’s available, and who needs to go home.
A clock in and out app lets managers post the schedule so that employees see it early and can make arrangements for their shifts. Posting schedules in advance leads to less absenteeism but also to medical personnel that are better prepared to work their shift. It also allows both managers and employees to see who is working so that in the event more staff is necessary; they can be called in, but also allows managers to monitor who is nearing overtime.
Easier scheduling means more easily adjusting to changes. Instead of employees getting overtime, with the time and attendance app it is possible to send employees home and call in employees who have hours left to work instead.
More Flexibility
One of the best ways to prevent excessive overtime is to manage your staffing levels in real-time. Doing this manually is nearly impossible because of the way that medical staff are constantly moving around, changing shifts, or having to change duties. Timesheet management and adapting to changing situations requires real-time flexibility that just can’t be done by manual means.
A clock in and out app manages the employee roster in real-time; as we stated, you can track hours, attendance, or even location and know what they are doing. This allows you to maneuver personnel so that duties are covered appropriately.
Overtime in the medical field can often be the result of staffing issues during a crisis. Using the timekeeper app allows you to not only shift personnel around, but you can also actually call in other personnel to help if necessary and avoid having a select group of employees gaining large amounts of overtime.
Manage Employee Needs
One of the best ways to manage overtime in the healthcare field is by making sure that employees are in top shape to perform their jobs. One of the ways to do this is with a team time tracking app. Often, when schedules are made, they are done in a way that doesn’t consider the needs of the employees. The same is true for breaks, vacations, or other time off.
A clock in and out app holds onto all the scheduling information and which employees have worked overtime, any breaks, time off requests, and other data. By using this information, managers can better accommodate the needs of their staff so that they stay fresh for their job.
Apart from just sending workers home before they hit overtime, you can also make sure they take their breaks and get time off when they request it. Burnout is one of the most significant consequences of excessive overtime, and not meeting employee needs is the quickest way to employee burnout.
