Improve Efficiency with Shift Workers

Shift workers are a vital part of many industries. Achieving the best results requires working in harmony to align worker and company needs. Here are some suggestions to improve efficiency with shift workers.

What Is Shift Management?

Shift management is the process of analyzing company needs and organizing, assigning, and overseeing hourly employees’ work shifts. More than just plugging in workers to fill every slot, shift management requires a thoughtful approach to ensure the work of each shift is productive and efficient.

How to Improve Shift Worker Efficiency

Current thinking attempts to consider shift work from three angles: “Assessing the effectiveness of current shift scheduling practices is a complex task that requires a comprehensive understanding of operational needs, employee well-being, and workforce optimization.” Focusing too much on any single aspect of the task may lead to an imbalance that can snowball quickly. To find balance in these three considerations, some of the following practices may be helpful:

• Use scheduling software. Scheduling software can help remove unintentional human biases and ensure fair and balanced scheduling practices. Choose a software platform that addresses any recurring concerns. For example, if your company permits shift swaps, find software that gives employees tiered access to facilitate their own swaps. They may also find it helpful to see a record of hours worked or available PTO.
• Communicate effectively with an open-door policy. Ensure that the person who does the shift scheduling is an excellent communicator. They should be organized so there is never schedule confusion. And they should be approachable so workers can feel comfortable addressing problems as they arise.
• Create a clear request policy. Make sure all workers know the deadlines for requesting PTO or shift swaps. The scheduler should communicate that deadline in multiple ways so every employee knows the procedures for shift change requests. Be clear, too, about what constitutes an emergency for requests outside the regular deadlines. Be generous when accommodating life emergencies and try to ensure the employees where and how to ask for help.
• Seek to create fair schedules. A fair schedule seeks to meet the company’s needs while also taking employee preferences and life requirements into account. Production work may lend itself to a predictable schedule while some medical jobs require a rotating schedule where the days are evenly distributed. If your company has scheduling conditions – such as priority for seniority – make sure all employees understand it.
• Align staffing levels with business demands. Schedule shifts so more experienced workers are paired with newer employees. Make sure a decision-maker is scheduled or readily available for any incidents that require senior management. It may be helpful to go even further and seek to align compatible working styles for a more harmonious shift.
• Create an absence management plan. The best absence management plans start by allowing employees sufficient time off for life requirements like doctors appointments, kids school obligations, etc. Beyond that, you could provide incentives for using vacation or PTO at slower production times, cross-train workers from other departments to cover on demand, collaborate with a temp agency, or allow for workers to receive overtime pay to cover shifts. While some absence management strategies may be more expensive than others, anticipating and building them into the budget allows for a calm response.
• Distribute workload evenly. An efficient shift is one where each worker contributes to the best of their knowledge and skill level. Since most shifts will have some variance in what each person can offer, distributing work evenly is not just giving everyone the same tasks. Where there’s room for small adjustments, consider soliciting input from workers and managers to determine whether employees feel under- or overworked, and where their skills are most obviously used best. This allows managers to better disperse tasks across the shift to avoid bottlenecks or disruptions.
• Integrate maintenance shifts. For work that requires functioning equipment, proper maintenance is vital to continued operation. Schedule maintenance tasks for lower-demand hours or schedule a dedicated maintenance shift. Regularly scheduled workers could come in for a training meeting or be given PTO.

Key Workforce Metrics to Track

Before an after trying some of the above changes, consider which of the following metrics apply to your business. According to the Academy to Innovate HR, tracking some or all of these key metrics may help determine what’s successful and what may need reassessment.

Productivity Metrics

• Employee productivity tracks how effectively employees work per hour. The formula is:
  • Output (units produced or services completed) ÷ total hours worked

• Employee performance ratings track individuals’ job performance, typically through performance reviews or assessments

• Overtime tracking helps you know how much work time is happening outside the scheduled hours. The formula is:
  • Overtime hours = Total overtime hours worked ÷ total number of employees 

Employee Satisfaction Metrics

• Employee tenure reveals how long employees stay with the company, often a measure of things like employee satisfaction, workforce stability, poor job fit, or poor morale. The formula is:
  • Employee tenure = Total years of service for all employees ÷ total number of employees]

• Absenteeism tracks days employees miss work without prior approval, including for sickness or leave. Management can look for patterns such as high rates in certain departments or a pattern of illness or emotional disengagement. The productivity of the workforce may depend on identifying and resolving those concerns. The formula is:
  • Absenteeism rate = (Number of unplanned absent days ÷ total scheduled workdays) x 100

• Employee engagement can be evaluated via a survey that asks the following three questions seeking a response on a scale between 1 and 10: 
  • How satisfied are you with your workplace?
  • How well does your workplace meet your expectations?
  • How close is your workplace to your ideal job?

Then the Employee Satisfaction Index is calculated using the following formula:

ESI = [(question mean value / 3) / 9 ] – 1 * 100

This metric can be a useful holistic view of all the workers, and an opportunity to learn which areas need the most improvement to improve employee satisfaction.

• Turnover rate. This metric considers both shift-specific and company-wide turnover within a certain time period. Shift-specific turnover may suggest trends about a shift that’s leading to higher attrition. Company-wide turnover may require a hard look at company culture and employee morale. This metric can help companies strengthen their existing workforce and build a robust talent pool to draw from.
  • Turnover rate = (Number of separations during the period ÷ average number of employees) x 100

• Schedule adherence. This metric can be an important indicator of efficiency and productivity within each shift. Low adherence can indicate low individual buy-in, which can decrease overall morale as others on the shift have to cover or make up for missed hours or work tasks.
  • Schedule adherence = (Actual hours worked ÷ scheduled hours) x 100

A workforce of shift workers presents a unique set of challenges. By addressing employee concerns and evaluating key metrics, you can help your shift workers achieve optimum efficiency.

WorkforceHub is built for shift workers. With automated timekeeping and scheduling tools, the system streamlines workforce management across all types of industries that rely heavily on hourly employees. Simplify how you manage your shift workers by trying WorkforceHub for free.