Roster Management

Roster management covers all shift scheduling issues, such as shifts assignment, coverage, and the efficient utilization of the labor force. Roster management has the task of creating balanced and optimized schedules that at the same time fulfill operational requirements, respond to employee preferences and availability and adhere to labor laws, regulations and contract terms.

Example of Roster Management

In the healthcare industry, maintaining proper roster management is vital to meeting the patients demand for 24/7 care and regulatory requirements. The staffing coordinator or scheduler prepares and keeps nursing, allied health, support department, and administrative staff shifts.

The staffing coordinator will use roster management software and scheduling tools to consider the acuity of patients, the staff-to-patient ratio, the skill mix and peak demand periods when creating a staffing plan for each unit or department. The scheduler considers employees' preferences, skills and availability when assigning shifts with the aim of developing schedules that are fair, consistent and which support staff members and meet organizational staffing needs.

The staffing coordinator for instance, may employ a staffing model which entails a mixture of full time, part time and per-diem staff who are scheduled to cover shifts based on the projected volumes of patients and the anticipated workload fluctuations.