A similar phenomenon often occurs in senior care scheduling. If there are gaps in your schedule, it may seem like there is no solution but to resort to calling-in staff that is at risk for going into overtime.
None of these options are the best way to use your staffing resources. So how do you optimize your workforce and make the best staffing decisions possible? Here are two important steps to take in order to successfully manage open shifts.
This will help in a couple of ways. Employees that are hired as full-time have the expectation to work those hours, so if they are not being scheduled to a full-time workload you are creating more work for yourself. Not only are you creating unnecessary open shifts but you are probably paying a premium to fill those shifts through unnecessary overtime or shift bonuses. Plus, you are paying for their benefits when they aren’t actually working a full time schedule.
Conversely, staff that was hired as part-time may be scheduled as a full-time employee. While some employees may appreciate the extra hours, others may be disgruntled that their hours are much higher than expected. Additionally, any employees working full-time hours must be provided benefits according to the Affordable Care Act. To ensure that your community remains in compliance with ACA regulations, leverage tools that can help you track hours of part-time employees and alert you before they enter full time status.
When staff hours are being maximized, you may find you have fewer gaps than you thought. As a result, you can reduce your reliance on excess overtime and shift pick-up bonuses.
Often, schedulers will have their list of “go-to” employees that they know are always willing to pick-up shifts. This can create the feeling that there is some inequity in the way open shifts are given out. Offer open shifts to all qualified staff (but try to weed out those who are at risk for going into overtime).
It can be challenging and time-consuming to manage open shifts, so one suggestion is to utilize technology to automate the process. Adopt tools that provide visibility to your staff of open shift opportunities so that they can proactively request additional shifts and if needed allow you to contact a desired group of employees at once using text message, or whatever communication method they prefer. This is really helpful for filling those dreaded call-offs as well.
Staff will appreciate having more control over their own schedule and giving them a voice may mean you have better response to your requests to fill shifts. Staff will feel more valued and engaged when open shifts are filled in a fair, transparent way.
The bottom line is this—take another look in the refrigerator. You probably have most of what you need to cook up a great schedule for your community.