What do I need to manage a shift operation?

Well where do you start with a question like that? Obviously the workload.

Workload

• What is your workload?
• What equipment do you need?
• What staffing levels do you need?
• What skills do you need?

You need to understand your workload and what skills, equipment, and staffing levels you need to cover it.

Manpower

Once you understand your workload you can start to look at your employees.

• What skills do you need?
• How many people should you employ?
• What should their terms and conditions be?

 Shift Operations

Once you are employing the correct number of staff with the correct skills, you can think about your operation.

How are you going to cover for annual leave?

How are you going to cover for absence?

How long should a shift be?

What shift pattern should you employ?

Day to Day Management

Once you have your shift operation staffed with a good shift pattern and procedures for every contingency, the day to day management is very easy. However you do need software and procedures in place.

For the software you can use VisualrotaX

It's designed specifically for shift operation. It give you information about how many hours each person has worked, records sickness, absence and training.

For the procedures you need to know:

• What happens when a holiday request is made?
• What happens when a sickness occurs?
• What happens if the workload changes?

Once you have your procedures and software in place, your operation practically runs itself. If you would like to know more about running a shift operation then visit our website or contact us directly.