Layer 3

 

Custom-Designed Employee Work Schedules

 

clock-circular-outline 8:00am - 5:00pm (Pacific Time Zone), Mon-Fri  

Staffing Calculators

Instructions

Choose one of the five different calculators shown below. Note that there are separate calculators for fixed and rotating shifts with 8-hour or 10-hour shifts. Fixed shifts often require more personnel with 8 and 10-hour shifts, so they require different calculators. This is not the case with 12-hour shifts.
In the boxes with the gold background, enter the coverage requirements for each shift on both weekdays and weekends. Coverage is defined as the number of people actually working, not the number assigned to a shift. The results will be shown to the right, in the boxes with the blue background.

Average Hours of Work

For 12-hour shift schedules, the staffing requirements are based on an average work week of 42 hours. In most 12-hour schedules, half the work weeks are 36 hours (three 12-hour shifts) and half are 48 hours (four 12-hour shifts). This averages 42 hours/week. 
For 8-hour and 10-hour shift schedules, most of the average work weeks are either 40 hours or 42 hours. You should look at both options to compare the staffing requirements. For example, 2-person coverage with 8-hour rotating shifts requires:

  • 8.4 employees with 40-hour work weeks (which would have to be rounded up to 9 employees), or
  • 8 employees working an average of 42 hours a week

The schedules that average 40 hours a week always use five 8-hour shifts per week or four 10-hour shifts per week. The schedules that average 42-hours a week have one 48-hour week every 4 weeks (with 8-hour shifts) or one 50-hour week every 5 weeks (with 10-hour shifts). The first column in the Resources Required box is based on 40-hour work weeks and the second column is based on work weeks that average 42 hours.

Staffing Requirements
Here are some considerations when using the calculators:

  • If the results are not a whole number, you can either round up to the nearest whole number or build more overtime into the schedule. Let's say the calculator shows that you need 4.4 employees. You can either use 5 employees, or you can increase the average work week to 44 hours.
  • If your current staff is larger than required, you can either downsize or use the extra capacity to build relief coverage into the schedule. For example, if you have 6 employees but only need 4.4, you could either reduce the staff size to 5 people or build a week of relief coverage into the schedule to cover absences. We can custom-design schedules that show you how to do that read more >>
  • If your current staff is smaller than required, you can either hire more employees, build more overtime into the schedule, or lower the coverage. For example, if you have 8 employees but need 8.8, you could increase the staff to 9, make the 8 people work an average of 44 hours a week, or reduce the coverage on the weekends.

Absences
The 5 staffing calculators DO NOT take absences (vacations, illness, training, etc.) into account. Many organizations rely on overtime to cover absences. However, if there is a high absence rate, this can lead to a number of problems, as described
here. If there is more staff than the minimum necessary to achieve the desired coverage levels, you could either build extra coverage into the schedule or build relief coverage into the schedule (my personal preference). If you would like to learn more about how relief coverage works or how to take advantage of it, please contact us today. Imagine how much money you could save by reducing your headcount by just one person.

12-Hour Fixed or Rotating Shifts

Requirements
  Shift    Mon-Fri Coverage     Sat-Sun Coverage
Days
Nights 
  Resources Required
  Staff Req'd Avg Hrs
Per Week
  42
  42
Total 

 

 

 

 

10-Hour Rotating Shifts

Requirements
    Shift    Mon-Fri Coverage     Sat-Sun Coverage
Days
Afternoons 
Nights
  Resources Required
  Staff Req'd Avg Hrs
Per Week
Staff Req'd Avg Hrs
Per Week
  40 42
  40 42
  40 42
Total   

 

 

 

 

10-Hour Fixed Shifts

Requirements
    Shift    Mon-Fri Coverage     Sat-Sun Coverage
Days
Afternoons 
Nights
  Resources Required
  Staff Req'd Avg Hrs
Per Week
Staff Req'd Avg Hrs
Per Week
  40 42
  40 42
  40 42
Total   

 

 

 

 

8-Hour Rotating Shifts

Requirements
    Shift    Mon-Fri Coverage     Sat-Sun Coverage
Days
Afternoons 
Nights
  Resources Required
  Staff Req'd Avg Hrs
Per Week
Staff Req'd Avg Hrs
Per Week
  40 42
  40 42
  40 42
Total   

 

 

 

 

8-Hour Fixed Shifts

Requirements
    Shift    Mon-Fri Coverage     Sat-Sun Coverage
Days
Afternoons 
Nights
  Resources Required
  Staff Req'd Avg Hrs
Per Week
Staff Req'd Avg Hrs
Per Week
  40 42
  40 42
  40 42
Total   

Resources
Here are links to articles I've written over the past 20+ years about different shift lengths:

If you'd like to see examples of different 24/7 schedules, we sell 5 different packages (see list below). You can read more here: Schedule Examples

  • 8-hour rotating shifts
  • 8-hour fixed shifts
  • 12-hour rotating shifts
  • 12-hour fixed shifts
  • Combined 8 and 12-hour rotating shifts

If you don't work 24/7 or you don't have steady coverage at all times, we can custom design schedules for you. Read more here:  Custom Schedule Design

If you want the best possible schedule or have additional questions: Contact Us.