A common requirement is for one team of fixed size to be rostered at all times. Before choosing a suitable shift pattern, the first problem to address is how many teams are needed. You've got a number of options. Consider the following calculations.
Number of hours to be covered each week = 7 days x 24 hours = 168 hours
Assume that there are no handovers between shifts and that mealbreaks are paid.
4 teams
The traditional approach is to use 4 teams.
Average hours rostered per week based on 4 teams (regardless of which shift pattern you choose and whether you use 8 or 12 hour shifts) = 168 / 4 = 42 hours per week
At this stage, no account has been taken of absence such as holiday, sickness and training. There are a number of ways of managing absence:
 | Choose a team size big enough to absorb an element of absence. The problem is, by how much should the team size be increased? For small teams, an increase of just one person can be proportionately more than the average expected absence. You also have to take account of different skills and grades. Because the level of absence will vary from one day to the next, some days there will be more in the team than needed, other days less. |
| Use overtime to cover absence. However, the week is already based on 42 hours and, if all absence is covered in this way, the average weekly hours, including overtime, will probably exceed , for example, the European Working Directive maximum of 48 hours. |
5 teams
The next logical step is to consider 5 teams.
Average hours rostered per week based on 4 teams (regardless of which shift pattern you choose and whether you use 8 or 12 hour shifts) = 168 / 5 = 33.6 hours per week.
This is usually below the weekly contracted hours. However, if you take a one-year view you will often find that the hours expected from 5 teams, net of holiday, will more than cover the operational requirements. The difference in hours, sometimes referred to as "owed" hours, can be used to cover, for example, sickness, training and ad hoc operational requirements. The calculation is based on a number of factors:
| Weekly contracted hours |
| Shift lengths |
| Paid or unpaid mealbreaks |
| Handovers between shifts |
| Company shutdowns |
| Holiday entitlements |
5-team systems, within an annualised hour agreement, have become increasingly popular as an alternative to the more traditional 4-team approach. Annual rosters are constructed usually based on the assumption that holiday is rostered, or at least partially rostered. They are more efficient and often more cost-effective than 4-team systems because they are self-contained and do not rely on overtime. Teams consist of just the number of staff required on-the-day with the correct mix of skills and grades, rather than building in extra staff to cover for absence.
4.5 teams
For organisations that want to consider an alternative to the 4-team system, with its 42 hours per week and overtime, but do not want to move to an annualised hours agreement may find that a 4.5-team system is a viable option.
Average hours rostered per week based on 4.5 teams (regardless of which shift pattern you choose and whether you use 8 or 12 hour shifts) = 168 / 4.5 = 37.3 hours per week
This figure is close to the contracted weekly hours found in many organisations. It can be increased, if there are handovers between shifts, or decreased if mealbreaks are unpaid.
The system is actually based on 9 half-teams. Each day, on each shift, two half-teams come together to form a full team. The composition of teams can therefore vary from one day to the next with implications regarding skill mixes and supervisory cover.
3.5 teams
Another alternative to the 4-team system but with higher average weekly rostered hours (48 hours per week = 168 / 3.5)
The system is actually based on 7 half-teams and worked with 12-hour shifts only. Each day, on each shift, two half-teams come together to form a full team. The composition of teams can therefore vary from one day to the next with implications regarding skill mixes and supervisory cover.
5.5 and 6 teams
When doing the annual hours calculation, as described in the section on 5 teams, you may find that the expected annual number of hours from 5 teams, net of holiday, does not, in fact, cover the operational requirements. You may then want to consider 5.5 or 6 team systems. Some organisations use 6 team systems with additional day cover, either in the traditional way or within an annualised hours agreement.
Standard shift patterns
We can advise you on selecting a suitable shift pattern. We run regular public and in-house workshops. See our Training page for details. We can also provide you with lists of standard shift patterns. See our Shift Pattern page.
Contact
Resource Analysts LtdTel: +44 (0)1273 202880 Email: info@rostering.co.uk