Shift schedule can be a game changer for a business in terms of productivity. Not only will it ensure a smooth operational workflow, but it’ll also lead to employee well-being.
Considering that shift workers have a 22% higher risk of depression and 16% higher chances of anxiety, it is imperative that businesses take their employees’ well-being into account when designing a work schedule.
Types of Shift Schedules
Organizations worldwide, from healthcare to manufacturing, use different types of Shift schedules to keep functioning. Some schedules are fixed, while others are flexible and can be altered as per demand.
Common Shift schedules include:
1. Traditional Shift Schedule:
Perhaps the most common Shift schedule, employees work an 8-hour workday for five days a week, followed by 2 days off. This schedule is fixed.
2. Dupont Shift Schedule:
This fixed Shift schedule with a 4-week cycle and is meant for 24/7 operations. Each team works 4 consecutive nights, followed by 3 days off duty, then 3 consecutive day shifts followed by 1 day off duty, then 3 consecutive night shifts followed by 3 days off duty, and finally 4-day consecutive shifts followed by 7 days off duty. A standard Dupont Shift schedule template looks like this:
3. 2-2-3 Shift Schedule:
Another 24/7 rotating schedule that ranges over 28 days. Every employee works 12-hour shifts for 2 days, then gets 3 days off followed by another three shifts. Ideally, employees who have day shifts should be scheduled only for day shifts, and night shift employees should be assigned nights shifts.
4. 4-10 Shift Schedule:
In a 4-10 Shift schedule, workers work full-time for four 10-hour workdays and receive a 3-day weekend break.
5. 9-80 Shift Schedule:
Categorized as a compressed Shift schedule, 9-80 schedules require employees to work 80 hours in 9 days. In this schedule, a 3-day weekend is given as off-time, every alternate week.
6. Split Shift Schedule:
This kind of Shift schedules allow employees to break up their workday into several parts. For instance, they can opt to work 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening to complete an 8-hour shift.
7. On-call Shift Schedule:
This schedule can be ideal for contingency planning, and managers can use it to supplement the main Shift schedule. An on-call schedule can be used to fill in for employees who’ve taken leaves.
There are other kinds of Shift schedules as well, like seasonal Shift schedules, and overtime Shift schedules. These schedules are used as per market demands. Workers are required to follow these schedules only when they are called in due to an additional influx of tasks that cannot be completed with usual staffing or within stipulated work hours.
Steps to Create the Perfect Shift Schedule
Almost 83% of hourly part-time workers report unstable schedules.
To find the perfect balance of functionality and efficiency, companies need to find an ideal schedule that caters to their productivity needs without ignoring employee needs. So how do you make a Shift schedule that works for your establishment and employees?
Here’s a simple breakdown of the steps that serve as a starting point for creating the perfect Shift schedule:
Step 1: Assess Your Needs
No two organizations have the exact same needs. So, a cookie-cutter approach to understanding your organization’s staffing needs would not work. Consider your operational needs and identify patterns for when you need higher efficiency and when business is a little slow and you can get by with fewer staff.
For instance, if you’re planning the Shift schedule for a restaurant, block off peak hours like lunch and dinner time when having more hands onboard would improve efficiency. It’ll set clear expectations with employees, and they’ll have a better idea of their roles within the overall workflow. This way, it’ll be easier for employees to manage their workload while also maintaining their quality of work.
Step 2: Involve Your Employees
Employee feedback is another powerful tool when it comes to creating an effective Shift schedule. Get your employees to be active participants in deciding their work hours. This will have fewer chances of conflicts, and management will have process fewer shifts change requests later.
Besides, allowing your employees to have their inputs on the Shift schedule will also ensure accountability. Managers would also be less stressed out trying to figure out a Shift schedule that works for everyone.
If an organization has frequently changing shift patterns, managers can identify a pattern of employee preferences as time-off requests. This will help them create predicable schedules that won’t differ by much, so that employees don’t have to adjust to vastly different timings.
Step 3: Plan Teams According to Skillsets
Not all employees are created equal. Some have better soft skills, while others have better organizing skills. Having these factors in mind can help organizations boost efficiency with shift scheduling.
For instance, an ICU ward has a critical patient under observation, and their state can lead to complications at any time. Having an experienced critical care nurse assigned to them would make more sense than having a newly graduated nurse attend to them.
Similarly, in a restaurant, it’s best to schedule the more efficient employees for lunch hour. As there’s a rush, they’ll be able to handle the increased workload more efficiently instead of the ones who take their time with a more personable approach towards the customer.
But the latter kind can help restaurants gain more customers in the long run. At the end of the day, both employees are valuable to the restaurant, and their skills can be utilized more effectively with efficient scheduling.
Step 4: Reinforce Communication
Considering how Shift schedules require the cooperation of multiple individuals to work out, communication needs to be an integral part of the process. Make sure every employee has access to their Shift schedule and can communicate in the event of changes.
Managers can choose an accessible and efficient communication platform for direct and group messages. That way, if anyone needs to call in sick urgently, they can do so promptly, giving managers enough time to find a replacement.
Step 5: Plan for Contingencies
Regardless of rigorous planning and foresight, emergencies cannot really be planned for. That’s why managers need to have proper contingency measures in place. From having employees on-call for backup to arranging for substitutes, these additional responsibilities can add to the manager’s workload.
To avoid this, companies must have set procedures to navigate these scenarios. For instance, if employees want to take a planned time off and a substitute is necessary for the time they’re absent, finding a substitute can be a part of the leave request process. This way, there won’t be need for multiple approvals as well.
Additionally, managers can also create on-call schedules to fill in, in case an employee is sick. Pre-planning an on-call schedule can also eliminate last minute scrambling to find a substitute at short notice.
Step 6: Select a Work Scheduling Tool
Implementing proper scheduling procedures and shift management tools can completely change the shift scheduling process by reducing scope of errors. They’re far more efficient than MS Word or Excel. Most of these applications, like Akrivia HCM’s Time and Attendance Software, also come equipped with additional features that can help managers track attendance, manage shifts, and even schedule overtime.
Additionally, AI powered shift scheduling tools can be used to understand leave patterns. This data can be further processed to automate shift scheduling in the long run. Employees can also make use of chatbots to understand leave policies and schedule leaves. That way, the time taken for approvals also gets significantly lowered.
Step 7: Set Up a Feedback Mechanism
Designing the ideal Shift schedule can be a process involving a lot of trial and error. To identify potential areas for improvement, it is important to have a feedback mechanism in place. Managers can routinely conduct surveys to understand problems faced by employees, so that they can be promptly addressed.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Scheduling Shifts
Creating multiple Shift schedules can be a stressful venture, and it’s easy to make mistakes. However, these mistakes can have far greater consequences and ultimately end up costing the organization in terms of efficiency and productivity. To avoid that, managers must be aware of these scheduling mistakes:
1. Unfair Shift Distribution
Managers should exercise empathy when scheduling shifts. If an employee must work consistently long hours, it’ll increase their chances of getting burned out. Similarly, if one employee keeps getting scheduled for the most convenient shifts, it may cause resentment among other co-workers. It is important to keep these considerations in mind and ensure that everyone gets equal opportunities and has time for adequate breaks.
2. Assuming Employee Availability
Managers often do not discuss the schedule with their employees before finalizing a Shift schedule. This can easily lead to scheduling conflicts create a stressful work environment.
3. Not Accounting for Important Events
It’s easy to lose track of national holidays and other important happenings, when dealing with the stress of scheduling. It’s also possible to overlook leave requests when all the information isn’t accessible and organized. That’s why managers should take special care and be mindful while making Shift schedules.
4. A Lack of Scheduling Rules
Organizational policy can be ideal for setting some ground rules that can shape Shift schedules. By having rules like a minimum notice for planned leaves, shift swapping limits, and policies against consecutive scheduling, employers can ensure both employee wellbeing and operational efficiency.
5. Inadequate Staffing
Shifts must be planned based on how a business functions at different times. For instance, having fewer employees working in a restaurant during busy lunch hours can hinder workflow, while scheduling multiple employees for slow afternoon shifts isn’t as pragmatic either. Managers must always ensure adequate staffing to distribute the workload evenly.
6. Allowing Indiscriminate Shift Swapping
Shift swapping refers to when employees have scheduling conflicts and ask their coworkers to cover for the time, they cannot be present. Indiscriminate shift swapping can not only cause scheduling conflicts but also cause unnecessary stress among other employees due to the additional workload.
7. Impromptu Schedule Changes
Unpredictable changes in Shift schedules can impact both the mental and physical well-being of employees. That’s why managers must make it standard practice to ensure that any unplanned shift changes are communicated well in time. In case of emergencies, managers must have backup schedule plans so that employees aren’t caught by surprise when they’re called in for a shift.
Summing Up
While creating the perfect Shift schedule that works can be a challenge, managers can achieve it by simplifying the steps involved. Additionally, if they are empathetic to employee needs and mindful of common errors, the schedules can be greatly improved to increase efficiency without sacrificing employee well-being.
What’s your take on this? Are you having a hard time creating Shift schedules for your team? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below & let us help you find a solution.
