Scheduling Center of Excellence - Comments

John Frehse: Workforce Management and Optimizaton Software

nospam@example.com (John Frehse) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:36:53 -0700

Can you post some information on your software. We can't find anything online aside from your site. Is there a review somewhere or testimonials we can see?

Thanks,

John

Kory Arsenault: Workforce Management and Optimizaton Software

nospam@example.com (Kory Arsenault) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:06:11 -0700

Hi David.. you may want to check out www.eschedule.ca . They have all the features you outlined and will work with you to understand your needs and implement a customized solution that actually helps.

Jim Berkenmeier: Employee Scheduling - Shift Work Can Save The United States In the International War Over Productivity

nospam@example.com (Jim Berkenmeier) — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:25:57 -0700

Nice article/case study. This guy is right about listening to employees about what they want and what they don't care about. Twelve hour shift schedules (12 hours shift schedules) are something that most of my crews love, but if not everyone is bought in, you can get in trouble. Calling John Frehse at Core Practice Partners was a smart move and I recommend people do it. I was able to talk to this guy on the phone and get answers fast - and at no cost! We did a project with one of his teams a year later and they got me the cost savings and my employees didn't riot when we made the change. It was nice to make budget because, at my company, if you don't you won't have a job.

Thanks to John and his staff.

Jim

Bill Thomas: Employee Scheduling - Shift Work Can Save The United States In the International War Over Productivity

nospam@example.com (Bill Thomas) — Thu, 29 May 2008 06:12:51 -0700

This is the article on the employee scheduling. It is a breakthrough for those that want to improve operations in shift work scheduling areas.

"It’s Not About the Money"

To improve employee morale and productivity, increasing compensation may be precisely the wrong tack.

The COO of a leading international manufacturing company recently called with a problem: He was under considerable stress because he was facing a union drive at one of his plants in Ohio. It was clear to him that employee dissatisfaction there was terribly high and that the union had made significant inroads. He wanted to know how much he had to increase pay and other benefits to make sure the union vote didn’t pass.
We spent the following weeks researching the company’s labor practices and employee attitudes to understand more. The COO was right about one thing: the workers were unhappy, with 72 percent saying things were getting worse on the job. But he was surprised to learn that 77 percent of the employees felt the current pay and benefits were perfectly fine. Increased compensation would not solve the problem. If salaries weren’t right, attrition would be a key indicator, but employees weren’t leaving or threatening to.
So what did the workers want?
Over the past ten years, we’ve conducted an in-depth study into the attitudes of more than 100,000 shift workers at over 150 companies around the world. Through face-to-face surveys taken during work hours, we sought primarily to gather information about what employees like and dislike in their work environment, the changes they hope to see, health and safety issues and how work schedules impact personal lives. Of all the thousands of pieces of data we collected, one stood out: 81 percent of employees surveyed felt that their pay and benefits were adequate. In fact, compensation paled in comparison to good management-employee communications when we determined what really affects productivity. In other words, while most companies try to inflate employees’ morale by shoveling more dollars at them, less expensive strategies will do.
Thus, when we looked into the problems at our client’s company, we were not surprised at our findings. There, 47 percent of the employees surveyed were working more than 11 hours of overtime each week. At some companies, that can be an attractive aspect of the job because it brings in extra income. But in this case, 56 percent didn’t feel that way, saying they were working more overtime than they wanted. And they were particularly negative about the extra time at the plant because, according to 62 percent of the workers, their schedules weren’t sufficiently predictable to permit them to know when they would work and when not. In an employee base populated primarily by single parents, workers were struggling to maintain adequate child care while finding time to spend with their kids.
Based on this information, we were able to immediately convince the COO to implement plans for more consistent schedules that met the needs of the employees as well as the imperatives of flexibility and cost for the business. We rejiggered the traditional eight-hour, five-day workweek into 12-hour shifts over six days and staggered employees among the shifts. In so doing, the COO could be certain of having enough people available to put in the extra time necessary to produce a new consumer food product that was in high demand. Fluctuations in volume could be handled by adding a Sunday shift, while still giving employees three days off each week. The employees, in turn, would know precisely when they would be putting in their 40 hours each week. In addition, the COO could offer those with special childcare concerns the option of volunteering for weekend shifts. Within months of implementing this policy, cost per unit and output per employee improved while absenteeism and labor costs dropped.
Improving schedules was only part of the solution. Like many other large businesses, the company had fostered an “us vs. them” attitude among the workers towards management, which made employees less than enthusiastic about pursuing the organization’s goals. This attitude was driven by management’s tendency to make changes at the factory after consulting only a small, hand-selected group of employees, leaving out the vast majority of shift workers. As a result, the survey revealed that a mere 26 percent of the shift workers felt that the management team cared about the employees, a full 13 percent below the norm in the databank created by our numerous surveys, and just 19 percent believed the management team communicated well with employees. Meanwhile, 52 percent of employees said they did not feel like they were an essential part of the company.
Some of these results reflected workers’ perception and not reality. For example, as evidence of senior management taking them for granted, the workers offered the disparity in the amount of time spent on the job. They wondered why they were at the plant nights and weekends while senior managers were only there Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. The managers countered that, in fact, they worked at least 55 hours every week, but they were in their offices and not easily visible to the assembly lines. “It’s not a big deal,” one of the managers said. “The workers on the floor just don’t understand.”
Perhaps, but that attitude only exacerbated the sentiment that the front office doesn’t care about the shop floor employees. A lack of communication was also to blame: Senior managers typically didn’t approach employees for their input about operations and factory changes or their thoughts about their jobs because they feared the worst – that they would be asked to tackle a complex, painful alteration of some time-worn procedure or subject to a diatribe about working conditions. Moreover, scheduled monthly update meetings usually failed to address employee concerns. Although factory workers said they liked sitting down for a half hour, eating doughnuts, drinking coffee, and getting paid for it, they admitted that they would prefer to have managers show up at the assembly line more frequently at random times so they could see and hear first-hand the issues at the front.
Before our employee study, management’s primary ideas to boost morale included adding a new break room and repainting existing ones. This wouldn’t have helped: Our survey found that 74 percent of employees felt that working conditions were good at this facility. But after learning that the core of worker dissatisfaction was related to the growing gap between employees and their managers, the COO changed direction. He instituted a new communications strategy focused on providing information to employees that they felt was useful. As an example, the agenda of the quarterly plant wide update meeting was transformed. Instead of sixty minutes of high level numbers and charts that looked the same each session, the results were condensed so that concerns about work life and other critical employee issues could be addressed. In addition, once every four weeks senior managers were required to work shifts similar to the people that report to them.
With the new schedules and more open communications, the employees were mollified. The vote to unionize was defeated by a large margin. Moreover, the manufacturing firm realized over $1.6 million in cost savings and profit during this process, with $675,000 directly related to morale improvements.
Deterioration of employee satisfaction is a slippery slope. Productivity is the first to suffer, but it certainly isn’t the only aspect of the business affected. Turnover, training costs, product quality and attendance are also heavily hit. Most companies make the mistake of thinking that throwing money at labor challenges is the only sure solution. In the short term, that may be true. But for a sustainable program, with a continuing return on investment, something much more creative – born of listening closely to what the employees say they want – is the only real option.

Resources

John Frehse, “Shift Worker Productivity Need Not Be an Oxymoron,” s+b, Leading Ideas Online, 6/5/07: This article looks at the causes of low productivity and how management teams lack the appropriate knowledge and skills to solve this problem. http://www.strategy-business.com/li/leadingideas/li00028?pg=all

T.H. Monk and S. Folkard, Making Shiftwork Tolerable (CRC, 1992): This guide examines the experiences of shift workers and the workplace problems they encounter. http://www.amazon.com/Making-Shiftwork-Tolerable-T-Monk/dp/0850668220

Tom Rankin, New Forms of Work Organization: The Challenge for North American Unions (University of Toronto Press, 1992): Details the changing world for unions, new compensation practices and the difficult environment for shift workers in North America in the late 20th century. http://www.amazon.com/New-Forms-Work-Organization-Challenge/dp/0802073980/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210904728&sr=1-2

David Wainwright and Michael Calnan, Work Stress: The Making of a Modern Epidemic (Open University Press, 2002): Explores the unhealthy shift work environment and the psychology behind the epidemic of low paying jobs. http://www.amazon.com/Work-Stress-Making-Modern-Epidemic/dp/0335207073

Dave K.: Employee Scheduling Solutions For Shift Work Environments

nospam@example.com (Dave K.) — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:31:42 -0700

I have heard of Kronos as a leader in the WFM space. We use them at Kraft Foods North America for employee scheduling issues associated with card swipes and payroll. What about the rest of the lot? We get garbage customer service from Kronos. What does Invision do? Can they handle our 12 hour shift schedules? How is their customer service with employee scheduling software and do they have features like time off management, absenteeism management, and OEE tracking? Please help.

Dave

John Frehse - 12 hour shift schedule expert: Shift Worker Productivity Issues and Employee Scheduling

nospam@example.com (John Frehse - 12 hour shift schedule expert) — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:47:59 -0700

To add an additional comment to all of these questions, many of our customers see that we have worked on shift schedules for General Electric or employee schedules for Kraft Foods. They want to know how we were able to make 12 hour shift schedules successful at a mine in Canada. The truth is that every situation is different and employees are different everywhere we go. Just because a 12 hour shift schedule was successful at one facility does not in any way indicate it will be successful somewhere else. This is true even if they make the same thing and have the same equipment.

John Frehse: Help With Shift Schedules and Shift Work Rotations

nospam@example.com (John Frehse) — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:17:30 -0700

We are seeing a lot of activity on the web with regards to 12 hour shifts. People are saying they are worn out after the 3rd day or after the first 8 hours. 12 hour shift schedules require extra attention with diet, exercise, and sleep. The 12 hour shift schedule rotation is also critical. If you think you can just use what the company down the street is working (with regards to their 12 hour shift schedules) you are making a big mistake. Day on and day off scheduling shift patterns can make a great difference. Are your employees the type that want an extra 13 weeks off each year and can handle working 4 12 hour shifts in a row? If so their rotation will look different then the "work a little, play a little" concept where no one ever works more than 3 12 hour shifts in a row.

Call John Frehse at 212 534 0539 if you have any questions, but as cost savings are associated with 12 hour shifts more and more, management teams need to educate themselves. 12 hour shifts can be expensive and destroy morale OR they can save money and make your employees very satisfied. The devil is in the details and that is why what may work at one facility could be a disaster at another.

John Frehse: Health and Safety In The Shift Work Environment

nospam@example.com (John Frehse) — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:16:20 -0700

John Frehse: Help With Shift Schedules and Shift Work Rotations

nospam@example.com (John Frehse) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:28:20 -0700

Core Practice Partners has cracked the code. 12 hour shift schedules have tremendous success in some environments, but fail in others. The manufacturing environment can be the same, the demographic can be the same, and the plants can even be across the street from each other, but one may find success with 12 hour shifts while the other fails. Why? Demographics are important as is the type of work environment whether it is a call center, manufacturing plant, mine, or distribution facility. What is more important is the need to get the schedule rotation right (day on and day off pattern or night and day shift rotation or both) and to follow strict change management procedures. Employees need to be involved in the process. The combination of expertise and experience at Core Practice Partners has allowed them to consistently provide successful operations management consulting to Fortune 500 companies around the globe. 12 hour shifts can save companies a lot of money, but if they don't know how to design implement the right solutions, cost savings become stranded.

For more information about Core Practice Partners and their services, please contact John Frehse at 212-534-0539.

David Cross: Help With Shift Schedules and Shift Work Rotations

nospam@example.com (David Cross) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:50:50 -0700

12 hour shift schedules are always the big question. Yes, they give you more days off, but is it worth it to work the longer shifts? In the end, one typically ends up working about the same number of hours on average each week.

To answer this question it is REALY important to speak with your shift workers. Whether you use the professional applications from Core Practice Partners or you try and go it alone, it is the critical that the people working the schedules have a say in what they end up on. Depending on issues like start ups and shut downs, breaks, lunches, and other tactical operational issues, 12s make work better than 8s from a financial perspective. 8 hour shifts require three shifts each day and therefore three shift changes while 12 hour shifts only require two. Also, because 3 shift is desired twice as much as 2nd shift, start times on 12s can be created to completely remove the negative aspects of 2nd shift. HOWEVER, based on the physical demands of the job, 12s may in some circumstances simply not work.

Ethan: Help With Shift Schedules and Shift Work Rotations

nospam@example.com (Ethan) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:47:05 -0700

Jack,

You are right, in call centers the most efficient way to schedule employees require more than 1 shift option. So the best way to get management interested in new schedule ideas is to let them know they are some cost savings available by looking at alternate schedules. In addition there are many soft savings as well, like making you and other employees happier by offering additional schedules that will better fit your life and preferences. You might print out some of articles available at www.CorePractice.com that will help you convince your managers to start thinking about different schedules. As a side note most manufacturing plants can run several different schedules to both minimize cost and maximize employee choice.

David Kurtz: The Management Help Desk for Shift Work Environments

nospam@example.com (David Kurtz) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:31:23 -0700

Employee Scheduling, Shift Scheduling, and Employee Scheduling Software all seem to be the hot topics for 2008 in the labor management field. Either management teams are trying to schedule shift workers manually or with software, but one way or another they are realizing that this is, in most cases, a million dollar issue.

If you are looking for employee scheduling software, there are a few choices. We do not recommend Tugboat Software. It does have all the bells and whistles of most of the other guys, but they don't have an in depth knowledge of business strategy that is critical when solving customer issues with automation. ScheduleSoft and Kronos both have solution, but cater to different audiences. If you want a non-biased review, shoot me an email and tell me your situation. I can probably save you some headaches. SAP and the other giants don't really care about scheduling and it is more of an afterthought. Don't get involved with them especially considering they won't care about service.

When it comes to operations and shift scheduling, we do that work and have for about 25 years. Check out our website and see if you can get answers to your questions for free. We are at http://www.corepractice.com. Case studies and other whitepapers on labor strategy are free to download and offer hard evidence of what works and what doesn't.

Sending jobs overseas is a trend we don't see slowing down. Because of this, the best jobs will be in areas that can't be outsourced. The problem is keeping those companies competitive with the high wages that the American market currently commands. Food manufacturing, mining, and power companies are key examples of sectors that will remain domestic. Parts of the phone company and other service organizations will also stay in country. A serious overhaul of these areas will occur as unemployment rises and more competition for these jobs develops.

Jack Denton: Help With Shift Schedules and Shift Work Rotations

nospam@example.com (Jack Denton) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:17:26 -0700

I am working at a call center and we work 12 hour shifts. Not everyone loves it (I am one of them). You would think that in our environment there would be more options. It isn't like we are in a manufacturing plant. Any ideas on how to get management to see the light?

Jack

Employee Scheduling Experts: The Management Help Desk for Shift Work Environments

nospam@example.com (Employee Scheduling Experts) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:05:09 -0700

This is an article I copied from http://www.corepractice.com.

Shift Work Pay Is False Solution For Improving Shift Work Schedules and Employee Schedules In General - It's Not About The Money!

Employees will always want more money, but an increase in pay doesn’t solve the real issues that affect morale and therefore productivity. According to shift workers, failure to identify relevant employee issues is the number one reason managers aren’t
positively affecting long-term labor improvements. If you don’t ask the right questions, you’ll end up holding unproductive employee meetings that don’t address the real issues, or even increasing pay, praying that it will improve morale.

Identifying the relevant issues is a good start, but how big are the issues you are facing? Benchmarking is a great way to measure your unique environment against a national industry average and provides focus and priority for developing solutions. However, solutions must be based on operational strategies. Transforming business goals into a vision that employees will understand and embrace allow companies to achieve cost savings while improving morale.

The 2007 Core Practice Partners Benchmark Database consists of more than 100,000 shift worker responses from over 150 companies. The anonymous data collection process ensures employees give honest feedback on morale and labor scheduling topics such as: management effectiveness, overtime preferences, current schedule satisfaction, the importance of predictability and how life outside work is directly impacted by their work environment. Results can be sorted by industry, geographic location, company, and the transitional issues each client
faced at the time of the survey.

The database allows for a detailed look at how corporate behavior translates into employee morale and provides a roadmap for productivity improvements. Management teams can now effectively address the relevant issues and create a more productive, satisfied workforce.

Case Study : Food Manufacturing Shift Workers With Morale Issues Threaten To Unionize and Productivity Is Down.

A food manufacturer in the Midwest was struggling. Several key management roles had not been filled in the last year and the team was spread thin. Employees were threatening a union drive and productivity was down. The manufacturer needed to investigate what could be done quickly. Within several weeks, a study was completed to better understand the business and all of the employees were surveyed so management could clearly understand the issues.

Comparing established benchmarks to client-specific data raised significant red flags. Many of the responses rated worse than the database averages. Quantifying each issue using benchmarks as a measuring stick provided the critical perspective required to begin creating solutions that could solve the current crisis.

Contact Core Practice Partners for the results of the survey (free)

Even when paid fairly, it is human nature to still want more pay and benefits. However, employees understand the local economies and pay rates a lot better than commonly thought. 77% of the employees at this company stated they felt the current pay and benefits were good. With 77% being so close to the benchmark of 81%, why, the management team wondered, would they want to unionize? But that was the key point. Management didn’t understand that in almost all cases today, employee morale is not tied to pay and benefits. Trying to solve morale issues with a pay increase only delays the inevitable distractions associated with turnover, low morale and unionization. These are expensive problems to have.

By asking the right questions management discovered that 72% of the employees said things were getting worse (with relation to their lives at work). 72% is far worse the 40% benchmark, so we looked at more detailed responses to discover why.

47% of the employees surveyed were working more than 11 hours of overtime each week. At that point we added the 11 hours of overtime to their base labor schedule to see the effects on days off, weekend work and predictability. We continued our probing and found that 56% said they were working more overtime than they wanted. At many facilities employees want overtime and when scheduled the right way, the desire to work 10 to 15 hours of overtime is not uncommon. Was overtime being deployed in the right way at this facility? 62% of the employees said that their schedule wasn’t predictable in allowing them to know when they would work and when they would have time off. Overtime is a great way to meet the flexibility needs of the business, while providing employees with extra hours they desire, but it must be scheduled in the right way. If employees have no predictability with their current schedule, they won’t have the ability to plan anything personal for the weekend. No amount of pay could make up for lost time with family, and paying them more money is a way to distract them short term, but doesn’t
address the schedule problem.

To solve the predictability and pay off issues above, schedule options were reviewed which first met the needs of the business and then factored in the preferences of the employees. Working longer shifts enabled the workforce to meet the business needs for flexibility, while giving employees more total days off with built-in predictable five day weekends once every three weeks. By combining business needs with employee preferences these schedules became desirable. Some employees bid into those departments requiring weekend work just to get the predictable 5-day weekend breaks. In this example, we see how innovative scheduling techniques that combine the business realities with employee feedback allow real improvements in employee lifestyles. Productivity increased without extra cost to the company. In fact, labor cost decreased with fewer shift changeovers based on utilizing longer shifts.

Improving schedules is only one part of any solution. If employees feel an “us vs. them” attitude about management, they will be less incented to work towards the company goals. 71% of employees stated that they felt they were part of their crew or team. Is this number good or bad? Is there any correlation between perception and communication, and what about employee feelings towards the company as a whole? Combining specific data points and using benchmarks unlocked hidden issues and gave the management team a complete picture.

Traditionally, supervisors are the lifeline of information for shift workers and are considered part of their team. They are perceived to have a better relationship with employees and because they work the same schedule, they may be the only management figure employees see on a regular basis. They wondered why they were working nights and weekends while senior managers worked Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. The assumption was that no one in the office cared about them and the work they did (except their immediate supervisors who work with them on every shift). The management team thought this was “not a big deal” as they were working at least 55 hours every week and were often there late at night and on weekends. Managers regularly stated that “the workers on the floor just don’t understand.” The truth was that managers weren’t visible to shift workers and working long hours in their offices provided little consolation to the shop floor employees. Only 26% of the shift workers felt the management team cared about the employees (74% said the management team did not care). Although 39% is the benchmark (still very low), this number was critical in getting to the answer. Combining this low 26% with the only 19% who believed the management team communicated well with employees brought some clarity to the root issues causing unrest and union talks. No increase in pay was going to solve this costly distraction from productivity improvement initiatives.

52% of employees surveyed said they did not feel like they were a part of the company. Poor communication separates office staff from shift workers. Management teams typically don’t communicate well with employees, often fearing the worst and therefore not asking employees for feedback. Employees may feel removed from the goals of the organization and that can destroy morale and productivity. The scheduled monthly update meetings did not address employee concerns, although employees liked sitting down for a half hour, eating doughnuts, drinking coffee, and getting paid for it. Further analysis at this client revealed that employees didn’t want senior managers onsite every night and weekend. However they did feel that if senior managers showed up occasionally on the off shifts to answer questions, employees would feel more apart of the company.

Before the employee study, management had considered ideas to boost morale including adding a new break room and repainting the existing ones. This further illustrates the importance of asking the right questions. 74% of employees felt that working conditions were good at this facility. Although below our benchmark if 80%, 74% is within the acceptable range to be considered normal. This information ruled out the possibility that the cause of widespread unrest was based on working conditions. You can’t effectively listen to employees without asking the right questions. The leadership team wasn’t listening to employees and almost spent money in an area that wasn’t a problem.

The answer included several initiatives, some of which were implemented immediately and others that were gradually introduced. Senior managers utilized a new communication strategy and began working non traditional shifts once every 4 weeks. With these new ideas in place the employees felt they were finally heard and the vote to unionize didn’t pass. It didn’t even come close. Although pay increases and other paid benefits could have postponed the inevitable union vote, the only thing that could have ended the drive for good was something that didn’t cost anything. By understanding the root cause, the management team was able to provide a focused solution and no, it wasn’t about the money.

The deterioration of employee morale is a slippery slope. Productivity is the first area to suffer, but it certainly isn’t the only area impacted. Turnover, training costs, product quality, and attendance issues are also heavily hit. This client realized over $1.6 million in cost saving and profit making opportunities during this process, with $675,000 directly related to morale and productivity improvements.

When you cost out the impact from each area, the answer is clear: Management teams must spend more time working with employees to communicate, educate, and show that they care. It sounds simple, but communicating can be tough. Business realities aren’t always good news. Having the courage to share variability in customer demand can mean asking employees to be flexible. But when the right schedules for each employee group are coupled with an effective communication plan, this flexibility can dramatically reduce labor costs and improve a company’s profitability, while increasing employee morale. For this client, the reality was that clear communication about company direction, schedule changes, and clarity on potential
issues made employees more productive and saved the client money. Most importantly, they learned that throwing money at labor challenges doesn’t create solutions, but delays and distracts employees from being productive members of their teams.

Making Best Practices Your Core Practice
It’s Not About The Money
115 E 86th Street Suite 53 / New York, NY 10028 / (212) 534-0539 / Fax (312) 275-7888

Employee Scheduling Experts: Help With Shift Schedules and Shift Work Rotations

nospam@example.com (Employee Scheduling Experts) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:16:57 -0700

For the first entry I wanted to share with everyone that I got a call today from an ethanol plant that had a rotation issue. They like the 12 hour EOWO (every other weekend off), but wanted to simplify the rotation and give everyone a fair amount of time off. We looked at 7 iterations and finally came up with the right modifications. 2 hours on the phone turned into a real improvement in lifestyle for an entire shift. Take the time to share your experiences and challenges as we begin this blog together.