If your doors are open sixteen, eighteen, or even twenty-four hours a day, then you probably struggle from time to time with your staff scheduling.<\/p>\n
Finding workers willing to work late-night hours for extended periods of time is a constant battle. People want to be at home with their families. They want a consistent sleep schedule and some semblance of social life.<\/p>\n
How do you keep your output high and keep your staff happy and engaged simultaneously?<\/p>\n
Rotating shifts are the solution.<\/p>\n
This set-up allows everyone to take turns working early, mid-day, and late shifts.<\/p>\n
A rotating shift is a pattern of work schedule that suggests that shifts change according to a predetermined rotating schedule. It\u2019s usually used by the types of businesses that need to be extended or 24\/7 coverage.<\/p>\n
The shift pattern can be continuous (24\/7) or semi-continuous (running at 2 or 3 shifts per day). An example of this might be that an employee works two day shifts and then two night shifts.<\/p>\n
Businesses that need more coverage than an average 9-5 company will often rely on rotating shifts to ensure there\u2019s enough coverage throughout the business hours. These might be businesses that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or companies that start early in the morning and close late in the evening:<\/p>\n
Some of these industries will need staff coverage around the clock, while others may operate for extended hours, requiring more coverage than a daytime-only business.<\/p>\n
Rotating shifts work on a weekly or monthly basis, whereby there are several set shifts that different employees work over the course of that week or month.<\/p>\n
Shifts are usually distributed evenly so that there\u2019s a fair allocation of \u201charder\u201d shifts and easier ones.<\/p>\n
For example, night shifts will be distributed evenly across the team, so that one person isn\u2019t given more than others. Employees are usually given a variety of shifts, with a sensible allocation of days off. For example, an employee might walk three night shifts followed by two days off and then two day shifts.<\/p>\n
Clearly, the way in which businesses manage their shift schedules will depend on the industry, the nature of the role, and the hours of business operation.<\/p>\n
The way you\u2019ll schedule your employees for rotating shifts will depend entirely on your business: your industry, your number of employees, your company work hours, and your working culture. You may also have personal preferences for yourself and your employees. Do you want your teams to have some control over their shift schedules? All this can be come effecently using modern employee scheduling app<\/a>\u00a0designed for hourly employees.<\/p>\n You can now start scheduling your employees. Start by breaking up your day\/night into shifts and look at how much coverage you\u2019ll need for each shift. You can then create different teams to ensure that you have enough coverage on each of your shifts. This way, you can ensure that the same team members will be working together, creating continuity and stability among your employees.<\/p>\n Finally, determine the type of rotating shift pattern you want to use:<\/p>\n Rotating shifts keep things fresh. Working the night shift from time to time eradicates your commute, gives you a chance to experience a slower shift and gives you an opportunity to work with different people. The day shift gives you a normal sleep schedule and more time with your friends and family.<\/p>\n Here are some benefits and best practices for implementing a rotating shift schedule. Without any further ado, let\u2019s dive deep and find out how you streamline your shift rotation:<\/p>\n An often overlooked benefit to rotating shifts is the ability to spread your high performers amongst all shift variations.<\/p>\n Someone with special skills may be in high demand for various projects, and having them periodically rotate into different shifts can prevent unnecessarily hiring subject matter experts you don\u2019t need.<\/p>\n Plus, service-based businesses get a chance to ensure their customers have a great experience no matter what time of day.<\/p>\n A lot of companies operate with multiple shifts running around the clock. Here\u2019s a common shift schedule example:<\/p>\n Manufacturing and construction companies are common examples here. Ensure you\u2019re up to date with all the top construction management software<\/a> on the market with our in-depth blog post.<\/p>\n Naturally, the night shift and the graveyard shift are the least popular. Having one subset of employees take the less desirable shifts can create a divide at work. One that can lower morale, lower productivity, and even generate animosity between shifts.<\/p>\n With a rotating shift schedule, every employee takes turns taking on a less desirable shift, which has the opposite effect.<\/p>\n Happy workers are more productive. That\u2019s a fact.<\/p>\n Therefore, investing in a structure that boosts morale \u2013 or at the very least evenly distributes the pain \u2013 is going to pay off in the long run. Working different shift times also means that employees get to interact with a broader mix of people ranging from customers, suppliers, vendors, associates, and other business partners.<\/p>\n Some rotating shifts can compose 12-hour cycles with additional days off. They sound more daunting, but in reality, they offer greater flexibility and longer stretches of days off. Police officers and nurses are common examples here.<\/p>\n Arguably the greatest benefit of rotating shifts is to the company itself. Sure, rotating shifts boost morale and keep things on an even keel, but the biggest benefit is having employees working around the clock.<\/p>\n With rotating shifts, you get to keep all hours covered while still providing ample time off<\/a>. There\u2019s also a reduction or downright elimination of production disruptions that occur with shift changes. This is especially true if you overlap shifts by one hour, so there\u2019s a natural transition.<\/p>\n Safety and risk mitigation is also bonus factor with rotating shifts. With a balanced schedule, you\u2019ll see fewer errors and accidents. Restaurant and service jobs also benefit because everyone gets an opportunity to earn more during peak hours. People can also train during non-peak times, which will improve your staff\u2019s productivity and effectiveness.<\/p>\n No matter the industry, creating a successful rotating shift schedule boils down to a few best practices:<\/p>\n Careers that involve late-night shift work are challenging<\/a>. There are health concerns, social implications, and productivity often suffers. Yet, late shifts are just the nature of some industries and professions. We simply need certain people working around the clock to keep us safe and keep our economy moving.<\/p>\n On the bright side, good leaders can implement rotating shifts that will alleviate a lot of the heartache that comes with late-night shift work. When they\u2019re built with care and empathy, neither the employee nor the business suffers.<\/p>\n Use an all-in-one platform like ZoomShift<\/a> for employee scheduling to boost transparency and make it easier to process shift changes. ZoomShift keeps your staff accountable by keeping the schedule, shift preferences, and communication all in one place.<\/p>\n It also makes it incredibly easy to create shift schedules weeks or months in advance. Thanks to the built-in shift template feature. Empower your team to swap shifts if the rotating schedule doesn\u2019t suit. Notify your team of open shifts when you need extra help.<\/p>\n Building employee schedules can be chaotic. Things can slip through the cracks \u2013 employee time tracking<\/a>, staff availability preferences, time off requests, and last-minute call-ins.<\/p>\n ZoomShift\u2019s employee scheduling software keeps it all in one place.<\/p>\n\n
<\/span>Benefits of Implementing A Rotating Shift Schedule<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Evenly Distributes Talent & Expertise<\/h3>\n
2. Improve Morale, Cohesiveness, and Collaboration<\/h3>\n
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3. Increase Operational Efficiency<\/h3>\n
<\/span>Rotating Shift Best Practices<\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/span>Save Time and Money \u2014 Implement a Rotating Shift Software<\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/span>How ZoomShift Employee Scheduling Works<\/span><\/h2>\n