For Immediate Release: December 17, 2007
Every year Core Practice Partners releases its list of the top scheduling mistakes of the last 12 months. Educating the public has become a major part of the Core Practice mission. The workshops and seminars combined with ongoing project work with companies like Kraft Foods has made this firm a valuable labor strategy resource to the public.
This year’s list had a few newcomers, but most of the issues have stayed the same for the last five years - a real sign that adopting best practices is slow going here in the United States. This is an abbreviated summary of the Core Practice Partners top 10 list.
1. Copying a schedule from another facility
The three biggest issues are employee demographics are completely different and morale tanks, different business needs, and finally, the schedule may not have been successful where it was being used in the first place.
2. All schedules have one shift length, typically 8 hours
The one size fits all approach is heavily flawed, but widely accepted.
3. Weekend Warrior Crew
This crew typically has low skills, high costs, and high turnover. Both can severely damage your company
4. Keeping Overtime below 8 or 9%
Instead of focusing on idle time, the most expensive labor cost, management teams go after overtime – typically a very effective tool based on limited benefit costs after the first 40 hours.
5. Difficulty Flexing Up in High Season and Down in Low Season
Most companies have schedules that are only effective if the volumes don’t change. The problem is that volumes almost always change and flexibility is more important than ever.
6. No understanding of Health and Safety of Days on and Days Off
Many companies refuse to work 12 hour shifts because they feel they are unsafe, but don’t have as much of a problem working 7 shifts in a row (many work 13 shifts in a row during the busy season). This, in many cases, can be more detrimental.
7. Inflexible and Costly HR Policies
The HR manual may be the single greatest driver of labor productivity and cost savings if written and managed properly.
8. No Part time / Temporary worker Strategy
For those organizations with high seasonality and less need for skilled employees, not having a part time or temporary work strategy is a huge missed opportunity.
9. Inefficient Break and Lunch Relief
The small things add up and they add up quickly. If you have the wrong break and lunch structure, it may be a mistake you can’t correct.
10. Us vs. Them Mentality
The more shift workers know, the more bought in to the company vision they will be.
Core Practice Partners is the leading expert internationally in labor strategy for companies that don’t work traditional day shift schedules.
2 comments:
Who showed you our schedule? Seriously, most of the top ten mistakes scheduling mistakes listed are exactly how we schedule. But, the schedule works for us. We have problems with turnover and nobody really wants to work the off shifts, but we've increased the offshift premium and have purchased more equipment, so we now have the same number of day shift employees as afternoon and night shift combined. That seemed to make people happy who could move to the day shift.
This is a classic problem and I can't single you out for this. Using financial means to try and solve operational issues doesn't work in the longterm. Trying to keep employees issues in check by paying them off with shift premiums doesn't make them like their schedule, it just keeps them quiet for a few months before they ask for another raise or other financial compensation. Don't criticize them for it, because after all, you have trained them to think this way. Management teams teach employees that moeny is the way to solve problems, because that is what they do. The truth is the schedule probably still stinks.
It also sounds like you have put some serious money into capital expansion. That is a luxury most firms either can't afford or decide not to afford. There are attractive schedules for the off shifts. Read about them in some of our case studies or call me to discuss. John Frehse at 212 534 0539 or download case studies for free at http://www.corepractice.com.
Thanks
John
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