Shift Flexibility for Associates

[pmartindale]

We are looking to hire associates with flexible start & end times. Our current associates have a fixed start & end time. My questions are: Does anyone use flexible scheduling? By how much time do they flex? Are they ranges of time? Can start times vary by 30 min, 1 or 2 hrs? Can FT associates work variable shift lengths? 4, 5 8,9 or 10 hr shifts and still get 40+/- hrs each week? Is there high turnover as a result of using these scheduling strategies?

[Matt Schmitz]

I worked in a center that tried to use full flex scheduling. Attrition went through the roof and morale dropped like a rock!

We finally settled on no more than 1/2 hr flex from week to week, with breaks and lunches flexed daily based on historical call arrival patterns. We still had to meet state law guidelines as to how long from start of shift the breaks and lunches occured.

Don't make the same mistake we did. It was an expensive lesson: agents need stability in their work environment, including start times.

Matt

[Jimmy Childs]

In the past our center has run from 7am to 9 pm. We had a small shift start at 7, the largest shift started at 8 and decreasingly smaller shifts started at 9, 10, 11 and 12. The agents in these shifts had those hours permanently. We would hire and train agents specifically to fill each shift's agent needs. Of course, whenever possible, we allowed agents to shift to other shifts. This way all of the agents didn't have to keep changing shifts. We found that starting at 11 or 12 was great for some employees and fit their home needs which might include covering childcare early in the day or fit their individual inability to get up early. Don't know if this would work for you but it seemed to work quite well for us.

[Marcus Williams]

It certainly depends on you call traffic needs. In our center we have shifts broken down in 15min shift increments. It saves money for us (no overtime). Morale fell for a month or two until everyone got use to the schedule. We are dealing with the occasional schedule mix up but we also post four weeks in advance.