I just had a call from a guy with a 24/7 operation. The regular employees work fixed 8-hour shifts Monday through Friday. The weekend crew works 8-hour shifts on Thursday and Friday and 12-hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday. That means double (or extra) coverage every Thursday and Friday. He wanted to adopt a 24/6 schedule for the regular associates and have the weekend crew work Sundays only. I assume this was to eliminate the wasteful double coverage every Thursday and Friday.

I first explained the shortcomings of a weekend crew:

• Lower productivity

• High turnover (especially on the night shift)

• Extra (unnecessary) pay for the double coverage on Thu/Fri

• The cost of an additional supervisor

Then I explained the problems with a 24/6 schedule:

• Loss of fixed shifts for some employees
• Loss of all weekends off
• Some employees would have to work rapidly rotating shifts 
• The need for a schedule that uses 7 half crews

I don't think I made a strong enough case. Either that or he already had his mind made up. I suspect he was merely hoping to get a free example of a 24/6 schedule that he could adopt. Does anyone else have stories to share about either weekend crews or 24/6 schedules? Maybe if you share your story, you might save someone else a lot of aggravation.