APRIL 2019 OPINION
Are manufacturers’ shift
patterns fit for purpose?
Thinking smarter about your approach to your workers’ time
could bring about a solution to the industry-wide skills shortage
BY ROBERT CROSSMAN, DIRECTOR, WORKING TIME SOLUTIONS
D ata from the British Chambers
of Commerce has revealed that
the sector is facing the biggest
shortage of skilled workers since
1989, with 81% of businesses struggling
to fi nd suitable staff . These fi gures bring
into sharp focus the need to address any
legacy resourcing models that are likely to
compound labour supply issues.
For many manufacturers, modernising
shift patterns will be an important
component in responding to skills shortages.
Doing so will help maximise capacity and
productivity in the existing employee
base, whilst providing attractive working
conditions that can give fi rms the edge when
it comes to recruitment and retention.
Battle for talent
Making shift patterns more appealing to a
diverse range of employees is a key way to
diff erentiate your business in competitive
labour markets and broaden the talent pool.
Outdated or infl exible ways of working
can hold back certain demographics from
applying for roles, eff ectively increasing
current recruitment challenges.
Instead, new rosters can be designed to
suit specifi c individuals, each with diff erent
needs. This can provide a creative solution
to balancing the demands of the organisation
with the needs of millennials, working
families, students or those wanting to work
reduced hours as they head into retirement.
Shift patterns are also vital to creating
working conditions that aid retention by
supporting a happy, healthy workforce.
Designing and maintaining rosters that
eliminate overtime, provide more predictable
hours and avoid last-minute requests for
cover will support the work-life balance that
many employees seek.
A well-designed and administered
resourcing system can deliver equitable
distribution of pattern types that create
useable leisure time, certainty around which
days employees may need to be fl exible and
adequate notice around changes.
Providing more fl exibility around how
working time is structured can deliver clear
advantages in tight labour markets.
Optimising existing hours
In addition to supporting recruitment and
retention, it’s essential that manufacturers
ensure the full potential of their existing
workforce is being realised. We often see
businesses which are unnecessarily reliant on
expensive overtime or agency staff to meet
demand, when they could actually be making
better use of their full-time employees.
To do this it’s vital that companies look
at overtime, absence and labour cost data
to identify opportunities for optimisation.
Arriving at an accurate picture of ‘true
demand’, and the volatility experienced over
any given period, will ensure the precise
supply requirements can be calculated.
From here, the possibilities presented
by demand-led rostering are eff ectively
limitless, ranging from designing ‘high, mid
and low’ seasonal patterns, right through to
specifi c fl ex-up/fl ex-down shifts. Managed
eff ectively, these shifts can deal with hourby
hour and day-by-day fl uctuations whilst
incorporating appropriate and fair notice
for designated ‘fl ex’ employees. Aligning
shift patterns to demand reduces wasteful
underutilisation in quieter periods and helps
reduce the need for overtime.
This benefi t will be most keenly felt by
those relying on agency labour and overtime
to cope with peaks in demand. Under-supply
of labour often makes the most important
production periods of the year the most
unprofi table and can create the highest
risks surrounding quality or service issues.
Looking ahead
It’s crucial that when manufacturers look to
optimise shift patterns and introduce new
ways of working, the workforce is engaged in
co-designing solutions that meet their needs,
as well as those of the business. Providing
employees with more input and autonomy
can make them feel more valued, trusted
and empowered in their role, something
that has a tangible impact on productivity,
recruitment and retention.
With continuing uncertainty and ongoing
skills shortages, creating truly responsive
resourcing frameworks should be high up
manufacturers’ agendas. The fl exibility it
provides will ensure they can deal with
today’s pressures and more easily adapt to
whatever challenges and opportunities the
future holds.
Have you taken a tailored approach to shift patterns amongst your workforce?
We want to hear from you. Email: chris.beck@markallengroup.com
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk 11
alotofpeople /stock.adobe.com
Outdated or infl exible ways
of working can hold back
certain demographics...”
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
/stock.adobe.com
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