Is your System Sending Signals?
26 common symptoms leaders frequently overlook: Even well-run operations show subtle signs when the shiftwork system is under strain — absenteeism, rising overtime costs, coverage gaps, safety concerns, or growing schedule dissatisfaction. The clues are easy to miss because they don’t announce themselves as “schedule problems” — they surface as operational noise that masks deeper … Continue reading “Is your System Sending Signals?”
The Schedule Change That Looked Perfect — Until It Didn’t
Why employee involvement isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s the difference between success and costly failure By Jim Dillingham, Partner, Shiftwork Solutions The schedule looked excellent on paper. A pharmaceutical manufacturer needed to expand from 5-day to 7-day operations. Their engineering team designed a 12-hour rotation that provided perfect coverage, minimized overtime, and would delay a $15 million … Continue reading “The Schedule Change That Looked Perfect — Until It Didn’t”
Overtime Tax Break: What It Means for Businesses
Overtime just got a tax break—but what does that really mean for employees and employers? With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) on July 4, 2025) overtime premiums are now partially shielded from federal income tax. In this article, we will outline the details of the change and its impact on … Continue reading “Overtime Tax Break: What It Means for Businesses”
Tapping Into the Untapped Workforce
Creative ways to expand your hiring pool in a tight labor market The labor shortage isn’t going away. Across industries, employers are facing the same challenge: finding enough reliable people to keep operations running smoothly. Yet while companies compete for the same shrinking pool of traditional candidates, a wide range of capable workers remain on … Continue reading “Tapping Into the Untapped Workforce”
The 32-Hour Workweek: What It Means for 24/7 Manufacturing
How can a 24/7 operation maintain full coverage and control labor costs if every hour beyond 32 requires overtime pay?
Management By Walking Around: A Tale of Two Plants
Two plants took completely different approaches to leadership. One hums like clockwork. The other scrambles to stay on track. Curious what made the difference? A few years ago, I visited a food manufacturing plant where the HR manager’s office was tucked away behind a reception area. The door had a glass window—but it had been … Continue reading “Management By Walking Around: A Tale of Two Plants”
Characteristics of Effective Shift Schedules
When considering alternative shift schedules, you should evaluate how they affect your cost structure and whether they make your operation easier to manage. At a minimum, an effective schedule should: Let’s examine each of these five characteristics in more detail. Maximize Equipment Utilization Equipment utilization can be a huge economic driver in establishing the level … Continue reading “Characteristics of Effective Shift Schedules”
Surviving the Tariff Turbulence
How Smart Shift Scheduling Can Protect U.S. Manufacturers Trade tensions are heating up again, and U.S. manufacturers are feeling the pressure. With tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other key imports driving up costs and supply chain disruptions causing delays, uncertainty is at an all-time high. How do you keep production steady while managing workforce stability … Continue reading “Surviving the Tariff Turbulence”
Non-wage Solutions to Rising Wage Pressure
Unable to compete on wages, HR managers in manufacturing need alternative ways to attract quality employees. This post discusses non-wage solutions for controlling costs, reducing turnover, and keeping employees engaged. Back when we were recovering from the Great Recession, we all knew this was coming. We watched and cheered as unemployment numbers dropped, month after … Continue reading “Non-wage Solutions to Rising Wage Pressure”
12 Symptoms You May Not Know Are Connected
Business Leaders and Managers regularly scan the health of their organizations. Even the most well-run businesses are embedded in a complex ecosystem with many influencing factors. Certain sub-optimal signals and symptoms may show up from time to time. When this happens, managers first look for the root cause – often buried among multiple signals – … Continue reading “12 Symptoms You May Not Know Are Connected”