Weekend shifts are not typically at the top of anyone’s list when it comes to working. It doesn’t seem to matter what the workplace is, restaurant, retail, hospitality, or healthcare facility, if you’re open on the weekends, reliable coverage for those shifts can be a headache. And when you think you have coverage, but your employees are no-shows, your challenge becomes even more frustrating.
But here’s some good news: you can reduce no-shows through our proven strategies. Use your proactive planning skills and these smart strategies, and your last-minute staff shortages and gaps become a thing of the past. Build a reliable team that respects the schedule and shows up.
Stick to Your Scheduling But Respect Employees’ Schedules, Too
Most nursing and healthcare staff also have busy lives outside of work. They depend on schedule predictability. When you don’t post a schedule that includes weekend shifts until late in the week, your staff members may have already made commitments outside of work. Life doesn’t stop for your last-minute scheduling.
Show your staff you respect them and their lives outside of your healthcare facility, and post their schedules two weeks ahead. This provides ample time for them to arrange their personal commitments accordingly. When your nurses know their schedule that far in advance, they are more likely to follow through.
Keep a List of Dependable On-Call Nurses
Having a reliable pool of on-call nurses from which to draw is an excellent way to ensure shift coverage. Identify those team members who invariably show up in a pinch and have proven to be flexible and willing to step up when necessary. Compensate them accordingly, whether by adding a bonus to their regular pay, giving them extra PTO, or letting them have priority in choosing their shifts.
Make sure you rotate through your on-call list and don’t fall back on the same nurses every time. These people are golden! Don’t cause them to burn out!
Make Weekend Shifts Worth Showing Up For
When your nurses feel the shift is worth it, no-shows are far less frequent. Consider offering:
- Weekend Pay Differentials: Even a small bump in pay for weekend shifts is encouraging to your staff.
- Offer Priority Scheduling or Extra Earned PTO for Weekends
- Celebrate Reliability: Publicly recognize your nurses who are dependable on the weekend shift through an award or by offering gift cards, etc.
- Find Ways to Show Your Nurses You Value Them: Provide catered lunches, gifts for a spa day, or whatever token of appreciation you think of.
Meet and Discuss Availability to Ensure Weekend Shift Coverage
During interviews and onboarding, you likely discussed your nurses’ availability and let them know to expect weekend shifts. It’s wise to have these conversations periodically thereafter. Make sure you are both on the same page regarding their availability. Sometimes that changes throughout the year. If your nurse has a child in sports, for example, they may need Saturdays off during the season, but can resume Saturday shifts after the season is over. Or they may be able to commit to Sundays, and you can schedule them accordingly.
Life is busy, and sometimes availability changes, and showing you’re willing to meet them in the middle is good for future scheduling.
Make Shift-Swapping Easy
No-shows often happen because there was confusion over shift-swapping. Make sure you’re covered by simplifying the process. Whether you use a physical shift board, a scheduling app, or group chat, make sure your nurses have a clear and easy way to swap shifts. Before you sign off on those shift changes, ensure both of your staff members are 100% on board and understand expectations for their swapped shift.
Follow Up with Weekend Shift No-Shows
Check in with the nurse who failed to show up for their weekend shift. Don’t lead with anger or threats, but certainly don’t just “let it go”. Find out what happened and let them know they are accountable. Gaps in shift coverage lead to many other issues for your healthcare organization.
Remember, however you follow through with that accountability, your team is watching, and your nursing staff needs to know that you take weekend shift coverage seriously and attendance matters. And there are consequences.
Take the Stress Out of Weekend Shift No-Shows
It’s easy to reduce no-shows and ensure your weekend shifts are covered when you partner with BOS Medical Staffing Agency. Find out how we can take the stress out of scheduling weekend coverage through our strategies to reduce no-shows. Reach out to BOS Medical Staffing for more information.
