Issue #12: Are On-Call Schedule Demands Impacting Your Team's Engagement?

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ARE ON-CALL SCHEDULE DEMANDS IMPACTING YOUR TEAM'S ENGAGEMENT?
Considering creative alternatives to the traditional on-call model

Our team of Healthcare Industrial Engineers created this newsletter to share the industry’s best practices with leaders who can apply operational efficiencies in their daily work. 

Traditional on-call programs impact department culture and finances. Call-back premium pay rates increase department labor expenses, and the demands of the call schedule can contribute to poor staff satisfaction, high turnover, and difficulty recruiting. In many cases, alternative solutions are more advantageous than the traditional on-call model.
Top Tip: Regularly measure the percent of call shifts that are called back to understand the impact to staff engagement and total labor spend 
ON-CALL IN THE NEWS

Is On-Call Burden Driving Chronic Turnover in Your Department?
On-call programs are a common staffing solution for off-hours needs, but they can drive significant recruitment and retention challenges. Particularly in small departments, on-call and call-back requirements can be a key driver of the “fatigue factor” for staff.
read more >>

Here's How Being An On-Call Employee Really Affects Your Life (And Your Finances)

Ideally, getting rid of the practice of on-call scheduling will allow employees to schedule more time with family and friends, pursue additional jobs or further their education and feel more valued as employees.
read more >>

Why It’s Time to End On-Call Scheduling and Do This Instead
Even though in theory “on call” scheduling sounds like a good idea, is it the best way to address this problem? From the employers’ aspect, yes, this seems the best way to solve the dilemma, but from the employees’ side, it can be quite challenging and frustrating.
read more >>
INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICE GUIDE
1) ANALYZE DATA AND QUANTIFY FINANCIAL IMPACT
Collect staff schedules and 12 months of hours and pay rate information for on-call and call-back.  Quantify the total cost of the current schedule over the last 12 months. 
2) QUANTIFY THE PERCENTAGE OF CALL SHIFTS THAT ARE CALLED-BACK
Divide total number of call-back hours by total number of on-call hours to determine the true call-back %.
Top Tip: It can be helpful to analyze how many call-back shifts occur per team member to understand how often your staff is being called in.
3) FIND THE FINANCIAL BREAKEVEN POINT
Calculate the call-back percentage at which it is more financially advantageous to staff the shift with regular hours.  While each department should perform a unique analysis based on specific rates and schedules, generally:
  1. If call-back is below 40%, the existing call structure is likely most appropriate. 
  2. If between 40-60%, quantify the impact of alternatives to fully understand options.
  3. If 60% or greater, it is highly likely that scheduling shifts for regular hours is more advantageous than relying on on-call.
Top Tip: Review call back patterns by day of week and time of day.
4) CONSIDER FINANCIAL AND ENGAGEMENT IMPACT OF ALTERNATIVES
Analyze various scenarios to quantify the total cost of each option, based on your unique rates and schedule demands.  Scenarios to consider:
  1. Eliminate on-call shift and staff the shift within the regular schedule
  2. Adjust the on-call schedule by staffing part of the on-call shift with regularly staffed hours, based on demands by hour and day of week
  3. Utilize a dedicated on-call team
    • This creative option can reduce premium pay while alleviating the burden on-call often puts on regular staff.
NewslettersCara CookLabor Management, Contract Labor, On-Call