If you've already decided on a specific shift length and schedule format (fixed vs. rotating shifts), we can create several alternative work patterns for you to evaluate and show to your employees. Best of all, every schedule will be matched to your pay week, so you don't have to worry about unbalanced work weeks, unnecessary overtime, and loss of weekends off.

Look, there are a number of websites that offer free schedule examples or pre-designed schedule templates. One of their many shortcomings is they never tell you the ideal pay week for their schedules or they imply that it doesn't matter. If your pay week is different than the ideal, using that schedule without modifications can result in several serious problems. Yeah, it was free, but you'll pay every day you use it. 

We wanted to differentiate ourselves from those free schedule websites. That's why our schedule patterns are custom-designed to match your resources, requirements, and pay week. Here are the steps we follow:

• We start with your coverage requirements (i.e. the number of employees you need to show up for work on each shift, each day of the week). We compare this with your staff size and the average hours worked each week to determine if it is feasible. Sometimes, overtime may need to be built into the schedule to avoid gaps in coverage. Occasionally, there is more staff than necessary, so we'll ask how you want to utilize these "extra" resources.
• We then evaluate your shift schedule preferences: shift length (8-hour, 10-hour, or 12-hour) and schedule format (fixed or rotating shifts) to see if this creates any problems. If we can't create a shift schedule that satisfies your requirements, preferences, and resources, we will tell you right away, and there is no charge for our services.
• If the resources are adequate for the coverage and scheduling preferences, we start the actual shift schedule design. Often we can apply common scheduling patterns as a starting point, and modify them to fit your unique circumstances. Scheduling software programs can't do this.
• We create several different shift schedule options to show you the range of possibilities, such as the number of consecutive days worked, different shift lengths, relief coverage, and so on. The goal is to both satisfy your specifications and explore possibilities you may not have considered.
• We will send you an Excel spreadsheet showing the on-off work patterns (click here for an example). We can convert this to an annual calendar format if you prefer (click here for an example). You will also get a follow-up phone call to explain how the shift schedules work and the advantages / disadvantages of each option. We accept checks, all major credit cards, and PayPal.

If you would like to see a few examples of schedules we have designed for clients, please click here.

Request a Schedule Design Quote