The Secret to Creating an Efficient, Low Cost, Shift Schedule

Five key components to ensure an efficient, low cost, shift schedule which also gives the shift workers a good work/life balance?

Understand the workload. The workload is key whenever you are creating a shift operation. Your employees are there to cover the work. So you only want them there when there is work for them to do and you want them in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills.

Employ the correct number of staff. There is no point in employing too few. In the long run that just leads to high overtime and agency costs. Now you can’t save your entire overtime and agency budget but if you employee people at basic rate it will normally be a lot cheaper.

What type of service do you need to provide. All companies are different, and want different things, sometimes it’s continuity of operations, for others it’s meeting SLAs, minimising costs, maximising productivity, maximising output, maximising profits

A shift pattern for a good work/life balance. So you need to think about fatigue, time off, commutes, length of shifts, etc.

Absence costs money. A lot of money. So you need a way of covering for absence, be that holidays, sickness or authorised leave. The best way to cover absence is in-house, because your own staff will always know your operation, equipment and staff better than an outsider. Also it is normally cheaper.

If you would like to know more about creating an efficient, low cost shift operation which ensures a good work/life balance for your staff, then contact us directly to find out more.