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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1991

Stephen E. Bechtold and Larry W. Jacobs

Using labour efficiently in service organisations is an importantmanagement objective since labour frequently accounts for more than 70per cent of total operating costs. While…

Abstract

Using labour efficiently in service organisations is an important management objective since labour frequently accounts for more than 70 per cent of total operating costs. While most service organisations can use flexible scheduling rules to improve the utilisation of labour, selecting a good or “best” set of work schedules from a large set of alternatives has proved to be a formidable task. A new modelling procedure is described which allows optimal decisions to be made when the desired level of scheduling flexibility results in a very large population of possible schedules. Flexibility in shift scheduling is increased primarily through increasing the number of different shift lengths and allowing flexible placement of breaks. The power of the new modelling approach was used in an experiment described here to assess the relative impact of shift‐length and break‐placement flexibility on labour utilisation. The results indicated that, while either type of flexibility can improve labour utilisation, there was a rather strong synergistic impact from using both simultaneously.

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 1 July 1988

Michael J. Showalter and Vincent A. Mabert

With the increasing emphasis on improving service sector staff scheduling, many organisations have turned to employing part‐time staff in greater numbers. Operating managers need…

Abstract

With the increasing emphasis on improving service sector staff scheduling, many organisations have turned to employing part‐time staff in greater numbers. Operating managers need to schedule this staff in an efficient manner to cover the highly variable demand that is commonly present. This study demonstrates a number of important factors that influence how well staff schedules can be matched against variable demand. Four heuristic staff scheduling procedures are examined that provide optimal, or near optimal, staff schedules under different operating conditions. It is shown that variability in demand controls the number of excess staff hours scheduled, and that the smaller the number of daily shift hours and/or the number of days worked per week, the lower will be the level of excess staff hours scheduled.

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 8 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Book part
Publication date: 10 June 2021

Suzanne Markham Bagnera and Peter Szende

This chapter discusses techniques for scheduling and organizing staff to meet guest demands and financial obligations. Key building blocks relevant to labor management are…

Abstract

This chapter discusses techniques for scheduling and organizing staff to meet guest demands and financial obligations. Key building blocks relevant to labor management are explained, such as productivity, fixed and variable labor hours, and the development of realistic performance standards to help organizations optimize productivity. As a next step, this chapter illuminates the importance of providing management labor standards and staffing models, which are key management tools. Lodging and food and beverage labor strategies are presented. Finally, effective planning of labor scheduling is also discussed.

Details

Operations Management in the Hospitality Industry
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-541-7

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1993

Larry W. Jacobs and Stephen E. Bechtold

Service operations managers often attempt to improvelabourscheduling efficiency through the use of one or more types ofscheduling flexibility. Part‐time labour, for example, is…

9403

Abstract

Service operations managers often attempt to improve labourscheduling efficiency through the use of one or more types of scheduling flexibility. Part‐time labour, for example, is one type of scheduling flexibility which is used in many service operations. The use of part‐time workers increases productivity by providing a closer match between the forecast labour requirements and the amount of labour actually scheduled. Demonstrates the feasibility of implementing a microcomputer‐based approach to workforce‐scheduling problems which contain a substantial degree of scheduling flexibility. This approach has particular application to small service firms which may have, or can obtain, microcomputers to schedule their operating personnel. The actual scheduling procedure is designed to produce daily and weekly work schedules simultaneously (i.e. tour schedules) for workers assumed to be of homogeneous skill and ability, such as those employed in a fast‐food restaurant. The application of such an approach in the microcomputer environment would have a significant impact on the ability of small service establishments further to enhance labour utilization through the increased use of workforce‐scheduling flexibility. Clearly demonstrates that a microcomputer‐based workforce‐scheduling model which incorporates a substantial amount of scheduling flexibility, can and should be developed for use in today′s small service organizations.

Details

International Journal of Service Industry Management, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-4233

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Article
Publication date: 1 January 1995

Michael J. Brusco and T. Reid Johns

Labour scheduling heuristic methods have been applied in serviceoperating environments using both actual and synthetic demand patterns.Two important characteristics of these…

1179

Abstract

Labour scheduling heuristic methods have been applied in service operating environments using both actual and synthetic demand patterns. Two important characteristics of these demand patterns are (1) demand smoothness and (2) mean demand. Investigates the effects of demand smoothness and mean demand on the solution quality associated with four prominent heuristic methods. Indicates that both characteristics can affect the performance of the heuristic methods. An especially important finding is that the two methods which use information from linear programming solutions are far more robust to changes in the degree of demand smoothness. Concludes that managers should consider linear programming methods as an alternative or supplement for making their scheduling decisions. Also recommends that labour scheduling researchers use multiple levels of mean demand and demand smoothness when evaluating new heuristic methods.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1995

Emanuel Melachrinoudis and Michael Olafsson

Labour scheduling in supermarkets is a difficult task since mostemployees work various shift lengths instead of standard eight‐hourshifts. With front‐end cashiers, it is even more…

1814

Abstract

Labour scheduling in supermarkets is a difficult task since most employees work various shift lengths instead of standard eight‐hour shifts. With front‐end cashiers, it is even more difficult, since the number of needed cashiers is based on customer volume, which is constantly fluctuating. To create an accurate schedule, a supermarket manager must spend a good deal of time trying to match cashier shifts to customer demand. Presents a shift selection integer linear programming model which has been implemented in stores of a supermarket chain in north‐east USA. The model runs on a personal computer within an electronic spreadsheet environment, making it user‐friendly for managers. The POS data, routinely collected by registers and scanners are used for forecasting cashiers′ demand. The goal in this scheduling system is to maintain an acceptable customer service at the checkout for customer satisfaction and retention.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

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Article
Publication date: 1 August 1998

John C. Goodale and Enar Tunc

This paper examines the benefit of incorporating a group of employees that exhibit dynamic service rates into scheduling tours in a service operation. The service operation that…

4885

Abstract

This paper examines the benefit of incorporating a group of employees that exhibit dynamic service rates into scheduling tours in a service operation. The service operation that is examined includes a fully productive core (full‐time) workforce along with a contingent (full‐ and part‐time) workforce that experiences the learning effect. Two methods that account for the learning effect are analyzed along with two methods that do not consider learning effects. The schedules generated by each method are tested in a simulation of the service environment. The results of a full‐factorial experiment indicate that methods that account for learning effects will yield superior solutions over a variety of operating conditions when compared to alternative methods that do not consider learning effects. The performance improvement of schedules generated with the most precise learning curve method was substantially and significantly better than the other methods. The conditions in which the learning curve methods provide the most benefit are explored.

Details

International Journal of Service Industry Management, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-4233

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Article
Publication date: 1 October 1995

Stephen E. Bechtold and Michael J. Brusco

Presents a new approach to working set generation for personnelscheduling problems. In full‐time (FT) and mixed‐workforce (MW)experiments, generates the schedules in the working…

539

Abstract

Presents a new approach to working set generation for personnel scheduling problems. In full‐time (FT) and mixed‐workforce (MW) experiments, generates the schedules in the working sets from the use of two‐phase heuristic labour scheduling solution procedures. The solution procedures were implemented on a 386 microcomputer and did not require the specification of the size of the working sets in advance. In the FT experiment, the general set‐covering formulations (GSCFs) associated with the produced working sets were solved with integer programming. The new working set procedure yielded optimal integer solutions for all 36 test problems in the FT experiment. Owing to the size and complexity of the problem data in the MW experiment, the GSCFs associated with the working sets were solved with linear programming, and heuristic rounding procedures were applied to obtain feasible integer solutions. The mean labour costs of these solutions averaged 0.69 per cent less than the mean cost of solutions obtained via the application of heuristic rounding procedures applied to the linear programme solutions for the GSCFs associated with the master sets. Compares solution costs for the new working set method with those associated with other working set generation/refinement procedures. Results indicate that the new method produces lower solution costs in less control processing unit time.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 15 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 1 November 2002

Adelina Broadbridge

Adoption of a cost cutting or quantitative approach to labour scheduling in companies espousing an enhanced customer service is examined. Using empirical evidence from the labour

2353

Abstract

Adoption of a cost cutting or quantitative approach to labour scheduling in companies espousing an enhanced customer service is examined. Using empirical evidence from the labour scheduling process at one supermarket chain, the paper demonstrates that the longer‐term negative effects of adopting a purely quantitative approach to labour scheduling and the resultant staff shortages can lead to decreased employee well‐being, increased absenteeism and staff turnover levels. In turn, this not only pushes up costs of employment, but results in reduced customer service levels. Concludes that for many retailers a tension exists between espoused company thinking and organisational reality. For retailers with a commitment to a total customer service strategy such a quantitative approach to staffing issues is ineffective in the longer term.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 30 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 1999

Hesham K. Alfares

This paper describes an actual aircraft maintenance labor scheduling study. The study’s objective is to determine the optimum maintenance workforce schedule to satisfy growing…

2843

Abstract

This paper describes an actual aircraft maintenance labor scheduling study. The study’s objective is to determine the optimum maintenance workforce schedule to satisfy growing labor requirements with minimum cost. The main recommendation of the study is to switch from a five‐day to a seven‐day workweek for aircraft maintenance workers. A new integer programming formulation, used to obtain an optimum seven‐day work schedule with no increase in workforce size, is presented. In comparison to the existing five‐day schedule, switching to a seven‐day workweek is expected to produce savings of about 13 per cent, or $100,000 annually.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 5 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

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