A proper schedule lets employees focus on their job and manage their time well, increasing efficiency and productivity for the organization as a whole.
However, scheduling comes with its fair share of challenges, especially for businesses with long hours. Obstacles that commonly interfere with scheduling include ensuring proper coverage, having a backup plan in place for no-show employees, dealing with employee shortages, and maintaining employee retention, to name a few.
To overcome the obstacles of employee scheduling, consider utilizing shift work schedules to help your business stay organized. Read on for Payscale’s tips on how to help your business effectively develop and implement a shift schedule that maximizes productivity and maintains employee engagement and satisfaction.
What is a shift (work) schedule?
A shift schedule, otherwise known as a shift work schedule or a shift worker’s schedule, is a strategy for scheduling employees in alternating turns. Shift schedules help an organization staff their workforce for extended periods without interruptions by considering workers’ varying availability and productivity levels.
Shift schedules are common in industries that stay open to the public or keep producing output around the clock to keep up with market competition. While manufacturing companies commonly used shift schedules in the past, you now see them across many industries and fields, including law enforcement, retail, security, hospitality, grocery stores, media, and more.
Main components of a shift schedule
There are five essential components of a shift schedule:
Shift length
Shift length refers to how much time is in each shift. Employers adjust shift length depending on workers’ availability, preferences, and productivity; health and safety concerns; and the amount of coverage their organization needs.
Schedule format
The way employers combine different employees’ shifts into one collective schedule makes up a schedule format. Two common types of schedule formats are rotating shifts and fixed shifts. In a rotating shift format, shift patterns alternate throughout the schedule. In a fixed shift format, the shift pattern repeats daily so that employees always work the same hours.
On-off work pattern
An on-off work pattern, also known as a cycle, shows the number of days an employee has shifts and the number of days they take off. In a typical “weekends off” pattern, employees work from Monday to Friday and take Saturday and Sunday off. Two other common patterns consist of employees taking consecutive days off during the week and one day off after a certain number of workdays.
Overtime
When workers log additional hours beyond their scheduled shifts, they enter “overtime” territory. Voluntary overtime is when an employee chooses to work additional hours, whereas mandatory overtime is when a full-time employee is forced to work additional hours.
Scheduling policies
Employers set scheduling policies, which govern how employees are scheduled and how schedules are adjusted. Scheduling policies, when carefully planned, have the potential to help your business be safer and more productive while ensuring employee engagement. Some factors that employers often consider when setting scheduling policies are overtime, call-in procedures, and pay policies such as shift differential pay.
10 common types of shift schedule
Below, you’ll discover 10 of the most common types of shift schedules alongside the pros and cons of each:
1. DuPont shift schedule
In the mid-20th century, the DuPont company developed a type of scheduling that provides long breaks to industrial employees. Today, shift patterns with built-in, lengthy employee breaks are still known as DuPont shift schedules. Employees on a traditional DuPont shift schedule work several consecutive 12-hour shifts and take week-long breaks every month.
Two major benefits of this type of schedule are that many employees appreciate long breaks, and scheduling is easier for businesses that stay open 24/7. A drawback of the DuPont schedule is that it sometimes increases the length of the work week beyond 40 hours.
2. 2-3-2 shifts
In 2-3-2, or 2-2-3, shift schedule, employees work consecutive 12-hour shifts for two days in a row, take two or three days off, and then work two or three more days of 12-hour shifts. 2-3-2 shifts rotate every month.
The benefits of a 2-3-2 shift schedule for employees include long weekends every few weeks, only 180 days of work a year, and a three-day cap on consecutive workdays. Like the DuPont shift schedule, the 2-3-2 pattern also works well for industries that provide 24/7 service.
As for the disadvantages of a 2-3-2 shift schedule, employees might find 12-hour shifts exhausting, meaning their productivity and sleep cycles suffer as a result.
3.Day shift
Day shifts are typically 8-hour shifts from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or 9 a.m.to 6 p.m., with one hour built in for a lunch break.
One pro of day shifts is that they promote healthy sleep routines for employees, which might boost productivity and reduce absenteeism. A negative aspect of day shifts is that traffic is often an issue for commuting workers. Because day shifts are the most common type of schedule, everyone is on the road at once.
4. Second shift
A second shift, otherwise known as an afternoon shift, typically starts in the late afternoon (around 4 p.m. or 5 p.m.) and ends late at night, usually at midnight.
An advantage of the second shift is that it works well for employees who are night owls, and it builds in time for workers to manage two jobs or pursue a degree on top of their job. A downside to the second shift model is that it tends to interfere with employees’ personal responsibilities like parenting and their ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
5. Night shift
Night shifts, also known as the third shift, commonly last from midnight to sunrise or around 8 AM.
Night shifts are ideal for employees who are more productive at night. However, they force workers to adjust their natural circadian rhythms to sleep during the day when they are off work.
Interrupting the body’s circadian rhythm harms workers’ morale and productivity1 and risks their health2. If you implement night shifts, a rotating shift schedule helps ensure employees don’t have to work consecutive night shifts, which is detrimental to their health and well-being.
6. On-call schedules
In an on-call schedule, employees are considered on the clock even when they are at home or otherwise absent from their place of work during their scheduled work hours. Employees following an on-call schedule are reachable by phone under certain conditions and commute to work within a certain amount of time if called upon.
On-call schedules work well for health care, technology, service professions, and other industries requiring around-the-clock, flexible coverage. Employees on an on-call schedule usually benefit from raised wages. One downside of on-call work is that it denies employees guaranteed time off. Another negative aspect of on-call schedules is that they sometimes necessitate remote work, which interferes with work-life balance.
7. Compressed work schedule
Compressed work schedules fit a full-time 40-hour work week into just four days. Employees on a compressed schedule usually work longer days than the standard eight-hour workday across different shifts.
Workers on a compressed schedule benefit from long weekends. One downside to compressed scheduling is that it has the potential to negatively affect customer service because employees’ availability is different from the standard day shift that many customers expect.
8. Irregular shift schedule
As the name implies, an irregular shift schedule is out of the norm when it comes to scheduling because employees’ shifts are irregular. Under an irregular shift schedule, employees’ shifts change weekly, sometimes depending on workload or employee availability.
A pro of irregular employee shift schedules is that they are flexible for businesses and workers. A con of the irregular shift schedule is that the lack of routine involved has the potential to cause confusion for employers, employees, and customers.
9. Split shift
Under the split shift work schedule, employees split their day into several shifts with breaks between them. For example, an employee on a split shift schedule works from 8 a.m. to midnight and then again from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The total number of hours employees on split shift schedules work is still eight each day, even though their shifts look different from a typical work schedule.
One of the advantages of split shift schedules is that breaks between shifts and midday flexibility benefits employees, especially those with personal responsibilities to balance. On the other hand, a disadvantage of the split shift schedule is the potential interruption to productivity that a long midday break might introduce when workers return for their second shift.
10. No-schedule shifts
A no-schedule shift allows employees to work schedules that don’t follow a certain pattern. In other words, a worker’s hours might change every day of the week all month based on their availability and the workload.
One benefit of no-schedule shifts is that they help businesses fill gaps in coverage and compensate for under-scheduled shifts. No-schedule shifts also grant a lot of flexibility to workers. A few downsides of no-schedule shifts are less routine consistency, unstable income, and interrupted planning.
What is the best shift schedule to work with?
Importance and benefits of shift schedulingCreating and maintaining shift schedules is essential for business success because it helps employees keep track of when they have to work so they’re able to achieve a strong work-life balance, higher satisfaction levels (which lead to improved retention), and increased productivity. Assigning employees a clear, comprehensive schedule that accounts for their availability and preferences is an effective way for businesses to communicate that they value their workers.
The three main benefits of shift scheduling are as follows:
1. Lower labor costs
When businesses put thought into how they design their shift work schedules, they save money on excess labor. Additionally, customer service benefits from the right amount of staffing.
2. Better accountability
Formal schedules lead to better, more transparent communication, improving employee accountability and organizational resiliency and reducing unnecessary confusion3.
3. Improve staff engagement
An effective shift schedule improves employees’ work-life balance and satisfaction with their workplace. With increased work-life balance and satisfaction, employees are more engaged and productive.
Tips to create and optimize shift schedules
Below are four best practices we recommend for your business to adopt when planning shift schedules.
1. Assess staffing needs
Before developing a shift schedule, assess labor needs, including the ideal number of employees per shift and the amount of work needed. Looking at historical company data helps your organization predict future staffing needs.
2. Review your staffing structure
After your organization identifies staffing needs, it’s time to decide whether your existing workforce and schedule meet those needs. Consider whether employees need additional resources and build that into the structure of your shift schedule.
3. Determine scheduling rules
Common scheduling rules such as overtime work, staff seniority, workplace location, and certifications are essential factors to consider when building a shift schedule to protect your business and employees and to prevent confusion.
4. Map shifts
Assigning shifts is another key part of creating and implementing a successful shift work schedule. When mapping out the schedule, ensure your organization is taking into account rules, resource needs, employee availability, and any other essential factors.
2 mistakes you should avoid
Your business should try to avoid these two common mistakes at all costs when building a shift schedule:
1. Not considering unplanned absences
Truth be told, unplanned absences are unavoidable. That’s why it’s important for businesses to take possible absences into consideration when designing a shift schedule. To do so, make sure your schedule is flexible and have a backup plan to fill any unexpected gaps.
2. Failing to distribute shifts evenly
It’s important to make sure that all employees are receiving shifts fairly. What constitutes a “fair” distribution of shifts depends on the type of shift schedule your workplace implements. Avoiding uneven assignment of shifts helps maintain employee engagement and satisfaction.
Final thoughts
Properly designing shift workers’ schedules is a key step toward ensuring that the operation of your organization is more effective, successful, and sustainable. Always review the shift scheduling plan after implementing it, as your organization’s and employees’ needs might change with time. Follow this guide to increase your organization’s productivity in no time!
Interested in implementing a shift schedule but want a little inspiration first? Take a look at Payscale’s 2022 End-of-Year Hot Jobs Report to get a sense of what types of schedules are top-ranked.
