I am asking about shifts and how to make schedules for 24 hours and 7 days a week . I hope that you can help. Also how to manage weekends as long as half of the staff can work and the others won't.

Jhitar, this question depends on a lot of things. How much staff do you have and how much volume and of what types will you face? What are the chances that someone on one shift will not properly interpret the needs on a different shift? Will there be a strong chance that shifts will not be in synch in terms of know-how, and how to prevent that? When it comes to estimating, should you account for 20% down/absences for any shift, and do you have anything to base any estimates on? Some years ago, I had about 20 people of my own, and occasionally I would cover one or two extra teams, so that I was now dealing with more like 40 or 50. In that context, we had prescribed procedures for typical operations, and there was more than one team functioning as my team was.

In a different context I am familiar with, there were fewer people, but there was more change, and that context had me looking for ways to produce a wine bottle with one grape, so to speak. Also, look at language and who is able to do what, when. I have always assumed the worst, and I think this has enabled me to gain healthy impressions of my abilities over time, where results are concerned. There are people that have experience with way more staff members than the numbers I have mentioned. Those are the ones I am hoping you are going to see cropping up with answers for you.

When you are able to identify people that are willing to work additional hours, changed hours, that tells me that there are people within the larger view of your team that want to take themselves to the next best stage they can have at your company--and I have no idea if that holds true, only you do. I think some kind of structured thought needs to be exercised on this fact. If the flexibility involved means special results on a pay check in the place where you live, and if that is the only motivator, then I would think there is a lesser degree to be concerned with people that want to work/change their hours. Where there is little difference, then I would guess that your company and you need to look at these people as valuable inclusions within the organization--and not simply people that are "willing to comply with our workforce needs."

Hi,

I am too late to reply this question but it is because I have registered myself just before a couple of days back. I am replying it considering that perhaps you are still looking for the solution.

I would recommend the shift timings as:

(1) First Shift :: 6:30am to 2:30pm
(2) Second Shift:: 2:30pm to 10:30pm
(3) Third Shift:: 10:30pm to 6:30am

In week-end:

Since you are operating on 24*7 basis it is not possible to offer weekly off on the same day to all hence you can keep weekly off on Friday - Saturday and - Sunday.

Now depending on the workforce few people will observe weekly off on Friday, some will observe on Saturday and rest will observe on Sunday. I don't know about the work load but I believe that work in the morning shift -- especially on the week off days -- will be less hence you can allocate minimum resource in the first shift.

Thanks.

Pankaj Trivedi
Manager Operation
http://www.TheIndiaJobs.com