What to Consider When Scheduling Overtime

Scheduling overtime is a challenging task for employers. We often think of overtime as an opportunity for employees to earn more money. However, in industries where overtime is recurring, improper scheduling may create a negative work environment and cause employee performance to suffer.

 

To ensure a healthy workplace is maintained, consider the following when scheduling overtime shifts:

 

1) Work-Life Balance

One of the biggest challenges to consider is an employee’s professional life invading their personal life. Allowing employees to agree to overtime shifts in advance helps them achieve a fair work-life balance.

It is also important to consider employees’ requests for time off. Consistently rejecting requests doesn’t only leave employees disengaged, but it can also create feelings of disrespect and suppression. Honouring requests will show employers encourage personal lives outside of the workplace.

 

2) Office Productivity

Another reason to schedule overtime is to increase productivity to meet deadlines. However, man-power doesn’t necessarily equal productivity. If too many employees are scheduled for overtime shifts, their collective mental exhaustion will compromise your team’s attention and focus the next day. How many employees do you need to work overtime without affecting your team’s capabilities during working hours?

In addition, it’s important to rotate the schedules equally to reduce animosity and encourage personal health. Distributing shifts so employees work equal hours also encourages a supportive environment.

 

3) Employee Burnout

Employees are likely to burnout if they are scheduled too much overtime, with late evenings and early mornings.

Psychology Today says burnout “is defined as a sate of chronic stress and frustration that leads to physical and emotional exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment; and a sense of ineffectiveness or lack of accomplishment.”

Not only does it affect the individual’s mental health, it can also trickle negative feelings into the workplace.

At Quartet, we offer mental health days to our staff to give them time to recuperate. Not only does it help their physical and mental health, but they also come to work refreshed and alert.

 

Employees are Everything

Don’t stretch your resources thin. Consider your employees’ health, your workplace culture and your business’ bottom line when scheduling overtime.