New shift rollout checklist
Adding a shift looks like a small configuration change and is not. Lateness, coverage, handover and everyone's attendance numbers all shift with it, and the damage shows up in the first monthly report if the sequence is wrong.
Triggered by a change in coverage. Start two weeks before the first day on the new pattern. The announcement step is the one people leave too late.
The checklist
- 01Write the coverage problem the new shift solves, in one paragraphOwner: Department head
- 02Define the shift: name, start, end, and a description people will readOwner: HR
- 03Decide the handover overlap between shifts, in minutesOwner: Department head
- 04Name who moves onto it, and confirm each person individuallyOwner: Manager
- 05Announce the change with a start date, before anything is configuredOwner: Department head
- 06Create the shift and assign it with the correct start dateOwner: HR
- 07Check the assignment history shows the previous shift ending cleanlyOwner: HR
- 08Adjust the self-serve check-in window if the new times need itOwner: Admin
- 09Confirm the first week's attendance records against the new windowOwner: HR
- 10Review coverage and lateness after four weeks, and decide whether it workedOwner: Department head
What goes wrong
- Assigning the shift from today rather than from the change date, which recalculates lateness for days already reported.
- Moving one person and forgetting the overlap, so a handover that used to happen in the corridor stops happening at all.
- A check-in window still set around the old times, so everyone on the new shift is outside it and filing punch requests.
- Announcing after configuring. People see their shift change in the system before anyone has told them.
- Skipping the review date, so an arrangement that solved nothing stays in place for a year.
Questions people ask
Can one person be on two shifts?
Assignments run per person with a start date and a duration. Plan a change as one assignment ending and another beginning, rather than as two running at once.
Does changing a shift affect past attendance?
It should not, if the start date is correct. That is exactly why the start date and the assignment history are the two things to check first.
How long should the overlap between shifts be?
Long enough for a real handover conversation, which is usually more than a team estimates. Decide it explicitly rather than letting it emerge.