Mike Andes argues that schedule ownership should match the company’s operating mode: during growth mode, the office should handle scheduling; during profit mode—when revenue is recurring, services are simplified and capacity isn’t constantly expanding—the general manager (GM) should control the schedule. Andes explains that putting schedule control with the GM aligns incentives, prevents finger-pointing between managers and the office when revenue/bonuses are at stake, and gives the GM accountability for team performance and profitability.
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The last thing I want to do is ever have any mid level manager be a point each other and cast blame. If you're in growth mode, I would have your office do your scheduling. If you're in profit mode and you hit all the benchmarks of profit mode, which means very high rate of recurring revenue, simplified services, you're in profit mode. Meaning we're not marketing or advertising, getting a whole bunch of new customers. Meaning we aren't jamming like every single week, hiring more people, getting more trucks, getting more equipment, expanding capacity all the time. We're not doing that. Then I would try my very best to get the general manager to do the scheduling because it's such a key component to profitability. Because if I'm going to give them a piece of revenue, like incentive in revenue, well, if they're close to the end of the month and the office doesn't put quite enough budget hours to get the jobs or get enough revenue to push them over the threshold, guess who they're going to blame? They're gonna blame the office. And the last thing I want to do is ever have any mid level manager reappoint each other and cast blame. Ruined your culture so fast. And so your admin person is potentially incentivized or wants to make sure everyone's schedule is within capacity and jobs go smoothly. Your gm, on the other hand is like, I know if I just made $300 more this month, I would have unlocked a $500 bonus. And so I need them to have power over the schedule now if it's profitability, same thing. That's why the power of scheduling in the general manager's hand is so important, because they know their team and their team. Also, I need the general manager to have full accountability for the schedule because when the team has a problem, they're going to come to the general manager. If the general manager becomes in between, simply of like, oh, well, the office, I'm sorry the office messed it up. Or the office didn't put enough on your route. Or like, sorry, they only put six budget hours. I know you asked for nine or ten. I know you're super efficient. Like, I'll talk to them, I'll try to figure it out. Like, they can't. They're handicapped. They're like, you just took out their leg. They can't manage their team effect. I would heavily push towards if your general manager is incentivized on profit sharing, that you need them to be fully accountable to their team for the schedule and they have the best pulse on where the team is at.
