Field Report: Weekend Overtime to Meet Increased Demand
Though many North American manufacturers try to get away with it, using a 5-day (Monday to Friday), 3 crew x 8-hour schedule, and adding additional work on the weekends utilizing overtime, has many hidden problems.
One company that we worked with used an inventive approach where they split the 3 crews in half and called them A and B. Each group took turns working the mandatory overtime on the weekends, yielding a 50% weekend coverage – at least on paper (see chart 1 below). This, in turn, creates a schedule where you work 12 shifts in a row and then receive 2 days off.
One of the hidden problems of the schedule was that it created absenteeism on the weekdays. Some of the absenteeism was due to the fact that employees could afford to miss weekday time thanks to incentive pay for weekends, and some was due to the fact that employees were tired from working so many shifts in a row. As a result, production suffered during the week and they also struggled to maintain 50% coverage on the weekends.
To resolve this issue, the company hired CIRCADIAN to review their schedule, develop a business case for change, and present the information to both management and employees. Together employees and management worked with CIRCADIAN to formulate a solution that met the business needs and the employee needs.
To learn more about the challenges of meeting increased demand in a 24/5 operation, we encourage you to read our free white paper, “Increasing Production Beyond the Five Day Operation” by clicking here.
Next Steps:
- Check out the complimentary white paper: “Increasing Production Beyond the Five Day Operation” by clicking here.
- The largest contributor to risks and costs in 24/7 and shiftwork operations is the shift schedule. Learn more at CIRCADIAN’s Shift Scheduling Homepage.
- Thinking about expanding operating hours to 6 or 7 days a week? CIRCADIAN offers on-site workshops on “How to Successfully Expand from a 5- to 7-Day Operation"
Have a Question? Need Help?
For over 30 years, CIRCADIAN has been helping shiftwork operations around the world. Feel free to contact us by clicking here.
