Efficient shift scheduling for Australian businesses

While there is no single measure of people in casual employment, a commonly used proxy measure is employees without paid (holiday or sick) leave entitlements. In August 2024, there were 2.6 million employees who were not entitled to paid holiday or paid sick leave in their main job. This represents 22% of employees, and 18% of all employed people.

In some industries, such as healthcare, hospitality, and law enforcement, shift work is essential to helping business owners meet continuous service demands.

In this article, we'll break down everything you need to know about shift work, explore various options for shift scheduling and detail the benefits of using employee scheduling software to streamline your processes.

What is shift work?

Shift work is any work schedule that falls outside the typical 9-to-5 workday. These schedules include nights, early mornings, or rotating shifts with changing or the same hours each day. Shift work provides invaluable flexibility and staff hours for businesses that need round-the-clock productivity.

Shift work can be organised as either:

Fixed schedules

Employees work the same shift pattern each week, for example, starting work at 8 am and ending at 4 pm, five days a week.

Split schedules

Employees work two separate shifts with a long break in between, such as working from 8 am to 1 pm, resting from 2 pm to 4 pm and then resuming work again at 5 pm to 9 pm.

Rotating schedules

Shifts rotate between days and nights on a weekly or monthly basis. So, some weeks, the employee will work daytime hours and other weeks, they will work nighttime hours. This helps create a balance, so some team members don't feel shortchanged by constantly getting unwanted hours.

On-call shifts

Employees are available by demand to cover unexpected absences or increased demand. So, when your business is experiencing downtime, only a few employees will be at work and during peak periods, more employees can be called in to meet the increased need.

As an employer, you must provide your staff with breaks between shifts. The Fair Work Act generally mandates a minimum 10-hour break between shifts. This 10-hour rule is designed to allow employees adequate time to rest and recuperate.

Benefits of shift work for employees include:

• Learning opportunities: Off-peak shifts like night shifts and slow seasons often have fewer employees on site, allowing staff to expand their skills by taking up different tasks than they usually would on a traditional shift.

• Enhanced focus: With fewer distractions during off-peak and slow hours, it's easier for employees to focus without distractions so they pay more attention to their tasks, improving work quality.

• Shorter commutes: Depending on the time of day, traffic and public transportation are typically lighter and less crowded, especially for early morning and night shifts.

Benefits of shift work for employers include:

• 24/7 productivity: By incorporating night shifts, your business can maintain productivity around the clock and optimise employee's work hours without overburdening them.

• Meeting demand spikes: Night shifts allow for flexible staffing that meets sudden increases in customer demand.

• Flexible shifts for employees: Employees with varying responsibilities, like family, benefit from the flexibility to choose shifts that work for them.

• Continuous workflow: Shift work ensures tasks aren't left unfinished, as night shift employees can take over where the day shift left off.

Challenges of shift work

While beneficial, shift work also presents challenges, such as:

• Fatigue and sleep issues: Working too many night shifts can disrupt employees' sleep patterns, leading to fatigue. The more fatigued staff are, the more likelihood there is for potential errors. That's why it's also important to have a time tracking function to ensure employees take regular breaks.

• Communication gaps: Employees working at different times may experience less interaction, potentially negatively impacting team cohesion and increasing loneliness at work.

• Higher risk of injury: Long shifts increase ergonomic risks and potential injuries for employees who work physically demanding jobs.

Effective shift scheduling with employee scheduling software

Employee scheduling software can be a game changer for simplifying and managing shift schedules, allowing you to optimise productivity while ensuring compliance.

By setting clear shift schedules, you'll reduce the risk of overworking your staff, prevent scheduling conflicts, and maintain compliance.

Take Control of Your Staff Scheduling with BrightHR

BrightHR's employee scheduling software streamlines shift planning and schedule management, ensuring compliance and efficiency.

With our clocking in software and tools that simplify shift scheduling and manage breaks, our software helps your business run smoothly and keeps your team in sync. Let BrightHR software support your shift work needs with a powerful, easy-to-use scheduling solution.

Contact us at 1 300 029 198 or book a demo today.