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Administer your staff to meet highly variable demand
Written by: Jack GreeneArticle Overview: Staffing for highly variable demand beyond your control is a difficult issue, and believe me this article will not resolve all of the questions. But it suggests some simple and more sophisticated actions for you to apply.
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Administer your staff to meet highly variable demand
Administer your staff to meet highly variable demand
Staffing for highly variable demand beyond your control is a
difficult issue, and believe me this article will not resolve all of the
questions. But it suggests some simple and more sophisticated actions, perhaps
you haven't considered, perhaps you can combine with other ideas, or jog a
useful thought process.
Non-controlled demand in my recent experience is an
intensive care unit where accidents and health emergencies are treated; tax
collector offices where property taxes due on the first of a month create huge
influxes; a depot for emergency relief supplies waiting on the next hurricane
or flood. There will be others with a similar characteristic, a sudden demand not within the control of those who must fill it.
When non-controlled demand is released, the management of
the organization is often required to meet the demand, period. Budgets and
plans become second priority, although sometimes as in the tax collector's
office the deluge can be anticipated.
A. Is control possible, perhaps through policy?
Control may not wielded by the management specifically
involved, but by others they can influence:
1. Tax bills due as of November 1 create the peak workload
of the year, the most visits, and the most questions, at the tax collector's
office. There is nothing the tax collector can do about the date, but the
politicians can change the timing; perhaps to cycle bill like commercial establishments do. Change the
law so that one twelfth of all bills are due in November; or the due date of
monthly bills are spread throughout the month. License plate renewals are
spread throughout the year already, and if you think the lines are bad at the
DMV now, consider what they would be like if all renewals were due in one
month.
2. The beds occupied at intensive care units of hospitals are
a result of natural causes and accidents, but also by surgeons who schedule
surgery. When hospital management is able to influence surgery schedules, it is
possible to evened out not only bed occupancy, but also the use of operating rooms and other
facilities.
B. General solutions, useful and widely practiced; use these
actions to ease overloaded times.
1. That old standby, overtime. Yes it is time and a half but
do the math; if OT reduces the number of people on the payroll and their
benefits it might be cost effective. How much is customer service worth? Overtime
is more effective for temporary workload peaks; if the growth in workload is
both predictable and permanent,
hiring will sooner or later be required and sooner is better.
2. Schedule vacations during the off-peak times, none during
the peak.
3. Cross train thoroughly, for instance all clerks to
perform all clerical jobs, but for all products and forms and situations and at
all desks; face to face with clients and on the phone and in the back office. Cross
train between departments. Then during the busy period, place the employees
where the work is. Especially effective if department peak workloads are at
different times of the day or year and inter-departmental assignment is
practical.
4. Ask supervisors and other management help out.
5. Stagger work times so all hands are on deck at busy time
and fewer before and after, during the work day.
6. Delay deferrable work during the rush hour, either as a
planned activity or on the spur of the moment. But sooner or later even deferrable
and low priority work must be done.
7. Call back retirees and ex-employees in good standing; be
sure to approach them before the increase in work.
8. Train a cadre to call up in busy season, employees from
other departments, interns, another local industry who has a slow season
concurrently, especially others who work with similar equipment such as
computers.
9. Staff for the peak loads, and reduce off-peak labor costs
by encouraging unpaid time off; or provide help to other departments, or build
inventory.
10, Where goods are produced, inventory is the great leveler.
Maintain shippable inventories, or stocks of supplies ready to be converted to
finished goods.
11. It is certainly possible to call employees up on short
notice for busy times, and not call them in for slow times, but there will be a
long term price you may not want to pay in employee dissatisfaction.
C. More sophistication required
1. An effective but more sophisticated technique can perhaps
be useful. Typically there will different levels of talent working together, at
different pay grades. Also typically, the lower pay grades can be more readily
trained. In such circumstances, an objective is often to maintain a stable work
platform for the skilled employees, even at the expense of the lesser skilled.
It may be possible to train the skilled to perform some duties of the lesser
skilled, then in lower workload periods reduce the number of unskilled and keep
the skilled busy by performing the less demanding tasks. When work picks up,
add back the lesser skilled.
2. In some organizations, another training variation is
useful. Train the lesser skilled upward, into more demanding duties. Then
alleviate rush periods as less skilled perform their newly learned tasks to
assist skilled workers, and bring in even less skilled to make up the slack.
D. The silver bullet for all effective workload relief
The very first action indicated is to quantify how much time
each major task takes. Only with that knowledge will you be able to calculate intelligently
what your practical options are, and develop plans. Objective time study or
other work measurement will define times and provide a basis for a realistic
solution.
Thanks
for your attention; I hope this adds to your perspective. When your organization
is ready for professional attention to work measurement and staffing, JPR will share what we know about the subject, and will
welcome your inquiry.
Jack
Greene Jackson Productivity Research Inc.
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About the Author: Jack Greene RSS for Jack's articles - Visit Jack's website  Mr. Greene's articles demonstrate how principles of industrial engineering and productivity achieve results, and reflect consulting assignments with Fortune 250 companies, and much smaller ones, in industry, construction, government, service, and hotels. Jack Greene is the author of books on Amazon in print and Kindle editions; click these links and read about the books and what's inside. Plant Design, Facility Layout, Floor Planning. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Plant+Design%2C+Facility+Layout%2C+Floor+Planning&x=17&y=18 Cost Reduction How to Survive, Recover, and Thrive, Time and Motion Study What, Why, and How-To A client will expect certain results from a consultant, and these articles outline what may be expected from JPR because they reflect our experience, business approach and services. We offer hands-on consultancy, to lead or participate in activity; or if you choose we can train your resources to perform the work in-house. Jackson Productivity Research Inc., at http://jacksonproductivity.com, welcomes inquiry about practical actions to accomplish your organization's objectives and scope, within your timetable and budget. Please email jack@jacksonproductivity.com
Click here to visit Jack's website   Productivity Management 555 for Today Lean Manufacturing and the Toyota Production System Success and Failure Can a productivity consultant add enough value to justify the fee Cost Control Cost Reduction after you cherry pick get serious about Productivity Improvement Set expectations measure and communicate Results Count |
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