Each year Shiftwork Solutions obtains valuable data from day workers and shift workers which helps us design optimal roster solutions. This database represents feedback from over 39,000 individual workers. How does your operation compare?
Roster Satisfaction
Overall, 63 percent of workers indicate that there are better rosters than their current roster. Although satisfaction with any roster is very individual, low roster satisfaction leads to adverse costs for any business.
Overtime
One third of working individuals depend on overtime for their personal finances. Overtime is a strategic resource to cover unexpected workload demands. However, many operations do not use overtime strategically.
Team Concepts
If 50 percent of your workforce felt part of a team or crew at your site, would you consider that to be good or bad? Overall, 79 percent of workers that we meet feel part of a team or crew.
Training, development, and communication opportunities
Rotating and permanent (fixed) shift rosters offer significantly different team training, development and communication opportunities for employees. Once implemented these roster options can be difficult to change. Only 60 percent of workers believe that they get adequate and effective training on their current shift roster.
Communication in the workplace
How’s your communication at work? On average, 36 percent of workers indicate that the grapevine is their primary source for obtaining work-related information.
Sleep variances by shift
Sleep experts recommend that we sleep between 7 to 8 hours per day to be fully alert. During a normal 24-hour day, workers report sleeping an average of 6.7 hours on day shift, 6.8 hours on afternoon shift, 5.9 hours on night shift and 7.8 hours on days off.
Performance and safety practices
Surveys of workers indicate that 61 percent have experienced sub-standard performance or safety practices due to sleepiness or fatigue. Poor quality sleep affects 79 percent of workers on their current rosters.
Family Considerations
The ability to cope with any roster or hours of work is greatly affected by family situations at home. More than half of workers today (56 percent) have a spouse or partner who works outside the home in either a day work or shiftwork position.
Shift Length
Individual preferences for shift lengths have changed significantly over the last 15 years. Today, we find 31 percent preferring 8 hour shifts, 36 percent preferring 9 to 11 hour shifts and 33 percent preferring 12 hour shifts.
Employee Turnover
More than 50 percent of workers have considered changing their current employment in the last 12 months. Reasons for looking elsewhere include: to get a better roster; family / personal reasons; to get better pay; and to get a better job.
Job Satisfaction
How an individual is treated in their job carries more weight than some might expect. Workers indicate to us that they are almost twice as likely to look for a better job than to look for better pay.
