Work Force Size and Single Shift Schedules with Variable Demands

• Published in: Management science Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 599 - 607
• Main Authors: Burns, R. N, Carter, M. W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Linthicum, MD INFORMS 01-05-1985; Institute of Management Sciences; Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
• Series: Management Science
• Subjects: Algorithms; Applied sciences; Employees; Exact sciences and technology; labor; Labor demand; Mathematical programming; Operational research and scientific management; Operational research. Management science; Organization theory; organizational studies: manpower planning; Planning. Forecasting; production; Production scheduling; Schedules; Scheduling; Workers; Workforce; Workforce planning; Manpower; Planning; Integrated planning; Production
• ISSN: 0025-1909; 1526-5501
• DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.31.5.599

In recent years, labour negotiations for seven-day-week organizations such as hospitals, mining companies and chemical industries have seen an increased emphasis on improving shift schedules. This paper gives an exact lower bound on the number of workers required to satisfy such primary contractual commitments as ensuring that each employee receives at least A out of every B weekends off, everyone works exactly five days per week, and no one works more than six consecutive days. The model addressed is general in that it allows the number of workers required each day to vary. The proof that the bound is the best possible is constructive. A linear time algorithm is presented that generates schedules satisfying all the primary objectives. Extensions discuss means of incorporating secondary objectives such as giving pairs of adjacent days off.