There has been a major shift in the workforce in the past few years. More people are working from home than ever, and many have no intention of returning to the office again. One of the biggest reasons why people enjoy working from home is the flexibility that comes with setting your own hours. At the same time, this demand for shift flexibility is spreading to other industries.
Now more than ever, other employees want the ability to engage and contribute to their own employee scheduling practices. For example, people who work in shift-based warehouses, public service, and manufacturing plants also want shift flexibility and the ability to set their own hours. What does this look like, and what does it mean for the workforce as a whole?
What Is Shift Flexibility?
Shift flexibility is the ability for employees to influence when, where, or how long they work, whether that means picking shifts, swapping them with coworkers, or volunteering for open hours, rather than having a schedule set entirely by a manager. In frontline industries like manufacturing, energy, and public safety, shift flexibility is typically delivered through workforce scheduling software that lets employees self-select shifts within the bounds of staffing requirements, union rules, and compliance regulations.
Why Other Industries Are Adopting Shift Flexibility
Traditionally, people would have their hours set by their supervisors or managers, who would be responsible for distributing the schedule, requiring employees to go to their manager if they want or need to make changes. Even though some companies still do this, many industries are giving employees more shift flexibility due to increased demand for work-life balance and control over their schedules.
There are several reasons why this is the case. They include:
- Recruiting Skilled Workers: Many companies are having a difficult time filling job openings right now with such a competitive job market, and they believe that offering shift flexibility could make the job offer more appealing.
- Boost Employee Satisfaction: Companies have learned that employees are more productive when they are happy. Employees tend to be happier when they have shift flexibility and more control over when they work, including the ability to swap shifts with other co-workers and volunteer for overtime for some extra cash in their paychecks.
- Employee Scheduling Software: Because of advancements made in workforce management technology, it is possible to use shift scheduling software to allow employees to switch shifts among themselves as well as automatically schedule the right qualified individual to selected assignments based on sophisticated assignment algorithms, aligned with union regulations and industry-specific scheduling laws.
- Supervisor Autonomy: Because there are shift schedule automation programs, managers no longer have to worry about managing schedules and filling last-minute vacancies on their own. This frees them up to focus on other more rewarding tasks.
These are just a few of the biggest reasons why companies across the board are building more shift flexibility into their operations.
The Business Case for Shift Flexibility
One often-overlooked benefit of shift flexibility is that companies are open for longer amounts of time as a result. If skilled workers are willing to come in during non-traditional hours, they may be able to accomplish tasks that make jobs more efficient during the day.
Shift flexibility also makes employees more productive. In the Gartner 2021 Digital Worker Experience Survey, 43% of respondents said that flexible working hours helped them achieve more productivity, and 30% of those surveyed said that less or no time commuting allowed them to be more productive.
For example, manufacturing employees can come in during the night to fix machine parts or catch up on production needs while allowing the day shift to keep the assembly lines as efficient as possible.
The Importance of Employee Scheduling Software
Because companies are changing the way they manage their employees, it is important to invest in shift scheduling software. When companies build shift flexibility into their operations, they provide more control over their skilled workers’ environment. This can keep employees happy and increase retention rates. At the same time, managers must pay attention to ensure they have enough qualified workers to provide the labor needed to produce desired output on each shift.
For example, companies may want to use an employee scheduling system that specializes in requiring a certain number of people with specific credentials or qualifications to work certain assignments. Then, companies need to keep an eye on the number of hours their employees work. That way, they understand exactly how much money they may have to pay in overtime. Finally, organizations are also encouraged to leverage a program that allows employees to manage their shifts from their mobile devices. That way, they don’t have to worry about managing a paper schedule or keeping up with scheduling changes when someone is out unexpectedly. This also reduces the chances of a shift swap or time off request getting lost in the process.
Rely on Indeavor to Deliver Shift Flexibility for Your Workforce
For most frontline workers in complex 24/7 operations, shift flexibility isn’t a perk, it’s the difference between a job they can build a life around and one they’re quietly browsing job boards to leave. They want a schedule they can see far enough ahead to plan around, a way to request time off without tracking down a supervisor, and the option to pick up extra hours when they need it.
Indeavor’s scheduling engine makes that possible, even in unionized, regulated, and production-driven environments. By automating the complex rules around compliance, fatigue, and seniority, Indeavor lets employees swap shifts, request time off, and volunteer for overtime in seconds, all while still putting the right person, in the right place, at the right time, every shift. The result isn’t just happier employees: organizations using Indeavor have seen attrition drop by as much as 47%.
See how giving your frontline workforce visibility and control can transform retention. Get a demo of Indeavor’s scheduling platform today.
