What Are the Different Types of Rosters for Business?

Several factors can affect the type of roster your business uses—job duties, customer levels, and hours of operation, just to name a few. A business roster is more than just a list of employees’ work schedules; it is a tool to ensure there are enough employees to keep your business operations running seamlessly.  

Moreover, to make your roster more efficient and easy, use a roster template. It streamlines your organisation's processes and employee work schedules. 

Read along better to understand your business's different types of rosters and see which works best for your organisation. 

Why is Effective Rostering Vital? 

If you have an insufficient number of employees working during peak hours, excessive staff during sluggish periods, or giving incorrect jobs to people who aren’t a perfect fit can all impede your business’ success. An unsightly matter that you ought to avoid at all costs. 

So, why is effective rostering essential for your business? Here’s why: 

• Saves you money and time and reduces your dependency on employees who can work despite the short notice. 

• Motivates and incites employees, especially when they receive fair, reasonable working hours that contribute to a better work-life balance culture. 

• Boosts higher attendance rates by giving employees suitable working hours. 

• Helps remove production risks by assuring staffing receives working hours accordingly with a fair amount of breaks. 

• Easier for you to track employee performance to determine who is more productive at what day and time. 

• Ensures your workforce are performing their best, are flexible to their schedules, and are not overworked. 

Roster for Full-Time Shifts 

A typical full-time employee works around 45 hours weekly, excluding lunch breaks. This means an employee that falls under this category requires to commit a 9-hour work per day for five days or less each week. This type of roster also varies from company to company and greatly depends on the business hours. 

Generally, full-time employees may expect to work the same work schedule weekly. 

Roster for Part-Time Shifts 

Between full-time and part-time, the most apparent difference is the number of hours your employee should report to work. This goes without saying that any shift with fewer hours than a full-time one is deemed part-time. Since people have different preferences, some may prefer to work part-time as it gives them more time outside of work and flexibility. 

Roster for Split Shift 

Employees who work under a split shift schedule have to divide their work hours throughout the day. For example, if your employee is asked to work 8 hours/day, they have to split it in half—4 hours morning and 4 hours evening. 

This is the most popular roster choice among workforces that need flexibility and businesses that operate continuously. 

Photo by: Tim Douglas | Pexels

Roster for Rotating Shifts 

If your business operates continuously or on a 24/7 basis, then this type of shift roster works best. This roster includes day, night, and swing work schedules that cycle weekly, monthly, or twice-yearly. Also, this type of roster template is popular in medical, military, roadwork, construction, and powerplant industries. 

This type of schedule may be challenging to adjust because it affects a good work-life balance structure. Employees may spend time with family and friends less frequently. 

Roster for DuPont Shifts 

For the DuPont roster, the work schedule is divided into shifts and works in a 12-hour rotating shift order. Your employees will be split into four teams, and each team will work a set of 4 straight night shifts (during a 4-week period), followed by three days off (in the first week). 

Afterwards, they will then work for 3-day shifts, followed by one day off, and then work three successive night shifts. Then, the team will have 3-days off, followed by 4-day shifts and seven days off. This cycle will then repeat every four weeks. 

Roster for Alternate Shifts 

An alternate shift is a general term for any work schedule that isn’t full-time. It includes part-time, flexible, and rotating shift schedules. In usual work settings, these shift types are applied to make room for employees’ personal and special needs, such as pregnancies, emergencies, and medical requirements. 

Roster for Pitman Shifts 

The Pitman or known as the “every other weekend off” work schedule, is a type of shift that divides employees into four teams. They will then work two 12-hour long shifts daily. Since this roster works in 2-week cycles, teams will have every other weekend off, and employees will not work more than three days straight. 

Benefits of Implementing Roster Management 

Don’t underestimate the power that roster management holds. It enables you to manage employee work schedules effortlessly. Not just that, if you use RosterElf’s rostering software, you’ll optimise your workforce’s productivity rate. Thus, reducing time theft and enforcing employee accountability.

• Employee empowerment 

Your employees will likely get demotivated if the work schedules don’t align with them. As a result, work quality may get entirely compromised. When your employees are matched with the most suitable schedules harmonising with their lifestyles, their roles and skills become more germane. In short, they find themselves more motivated at work. 

• Better attendance 

You may be left understaffed if your employees don’t report for work. This leads to non-compliance (from the employee's side) and underperformance, which can put your business at risk. Efficient roster management paired with the best rostering software ensures staff is available to handle every shift throughout the organisation. 

• Performance monitoring 

A compelling employee roster can help you track which employees are underperforming and which are performing well. It can even track which employee is performing better on which shift. With this, you can fine-tune your roster plan by matching employees into suitable shifts.

• Level of productivity is met 

Just like how valuable a well-planned roster is, an ineffective one says otherwise. It can yield lost profits for several reasons, and productivity can be vital to your business’ slipping margins. Probably there weren’t enough staff working at busy hours, or perhaps the best employees weren’t available. 

No matter the case, your organisation’s productivity and profits will improve if you have enough employees with the right skills at the best times. 

• Health and safety 

Employees who are stressed and exhausted are prone to work-related accidents. A carefully planned employee roster guarantees your staff gets enough rest in between shifts. Thus, keeping themselves and others safe and healthy. 

Photo by: RF._.studio | Pexels

Key Takeaway 

Effective roster management matched with good rostering software is a powerful combo that can make your business a huge success. Accuracy and agility are critical factors in designing a successful roster to enhance employee accountability, morale, and productivity. 

If you’re overwhelmed with the amount of business roster software available in the market, worry no more. What you need is something reliable and trustworthy. A brand that has been in the industry for quite a while with proven records and good customer reviews. 

RosterElf: Rostering Made Easy 

That said, RosterElf’s cloud-based roster and payroll software is a game-changer. No more chasing employees for their availability to work. No more roster conflicts. Employees can submit and update their availability information 24/7 using our smartphone app. 

Staff set the times and days they can work, and RosterElf does the rest. Our software then automatically suggests available employees to fill shifts.

What are you waiting for? Time to take your scheduling game to the next level and boost your business’ performance. Call us now at 1300 353 000, and our team will be more than happy to assist you. 

To get a clearer view of how our app works, enjoy 30-day access to our tool for free!

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