Common Shift Planning Mistakes by Rota Planners & How to Avoid them
- November 11, 2020
- 5 minuten
Shift mistakes are common. The rota planner or the HR managers can be charged with the problem. However, the employees and the team bear the brunt of it. We list down some of the common shift mistakes that occur and suggest possible solutions offered by HR leaders.
Of course, we are in agreement that such mistakes are not intentional. The intention of this article is to raise awareness, to help rota planners and employees alike. Let’s list them out –
Shift schedule published just 3 0r 5 days in advance, is too short a notice to employees. It is recommended that a shift is published at least 2 weeks in advance. It allows the flexibility for employees to make plans and arrangements for family care and routines.
It is unfortunate when some employees get longer shifts. Some unlucky ones get continuous shifts. This is hazardous to the employee’s sleep cycle. Long shifts have a direct impact on sleep disorders. Over 30% of graveyard shift workers and rotating-shift workers have reported long-term insomnia. Disruptive sleep can add to depression and dent the mental well-being of an employee. Due to the rise in the number of sleep-related disorders, due to shift work, it has got a new coinage – SWSD. It is abbreviated as ‘shift work sleep disorder‘.
This is an avoidable mistake. Most businesses are aware of their peak hours. It needs additional manpower. Seldom, it is planned well. It has a compounded effect on burned-out employees. As implied, it affects the customer experience as well. Employees need to have additional staff availability during such peak hours.
Luckily, such shift mistakes are avoidable. Seasoned rota planners and HR leaders recommend two things to avoid rota mistakes. One is awareness. The other is knowledge of resources. The list of avoidable shift mistakes is as follows.
A good shift planning software can help you do away with the problem. It will ensure such avoidable mistakes never happen again. As a matter of fact, an estimated £ 37 Billion is lost due to SWSD. Together with, Papershift shift planning software these problems can be addressed.
All things considered, an open environment for employees is important to combat these problems. In addition, asking for feedback from employees can also help. In fact, many rota planners declare that such feedback provided them with compelling reasons and evidence to make changes to their shift planning.
In conclusion, rota planners need the right tools to combat these problems. On average, a rota planner spends 10 to 15 hours a week to plan shifts with redundant tools. In all means, this can be brought down by 80% with a good shift planning software.
Ultimately, excess time can help rota planners focus on employee wellness. For instance, we helped YoungCapital Next in reducing their rota planning time, take a look.
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