You're facing warehouse workers disputing shift fairness. How do you address their concerns effectively?

Active listening is essential for resolving shift disputes. By arranging a meeting where team members can voice their concerns without interruption, you create an environment of trust and respect. Showing empathy ensures everyone feels valued, helping to de-escalate tensions and uncover the root causes of the issues. Understanding these concerns is key to finding fair and effective solutions.

I will try to listen to them and try to find their issues if possible I will try to convince them with respect if shift timings will be ok otherwise I will change their perspective and organisations and work requirements

Casos difíceis e complicados, principalmente na área da saúde, onde se trabalha 7 dias na semana. Acredito que tudo começa na entrevista, já tem de ficar claro para o futuro colaborador que: trabalhamos de noite, trabalhamos aos finais de semana / feriados, sem dúvida que, na hora da entrevista, o candidato vai dizer que topa tudo. Mas, depois, é inevitável que as reclamações apareçam. Volto ao ponto da entrevista: já contratei pessoas que adoravam trabalhar de noite, ao identificá-las nas entrevistas, aumentava minha atenção; verificar como o candidato vai se locomover até o trabalho, como ele enfrentaria um Natal em que estivesse trabalhando, etc.... isso ajuda a mitigar problemas depois.

first, conduct a transparent review of the current shift allocation to identify any imbalances. Engage with workers to understand their concerns through surveys or meetings and communicate openly about the findings and planned changes. Implement a fair and transparent shift scheduling system that considers worker preferences and ensures equitable distribution of shifts. Offer flexibility where possible and provide a clear process for addressing grievances. Regularly review and adjust the system based on feedback to maintain fairness and improve morale.

If your company has fixed shift schedules, make sure that shift transfers are per a fixed policy. If shifts are assigned on a periodic basis, having a set rotation schedule is the most basic way to ensure consistency and fairness. In the end, the perception of favoritism due to exceptions is what causes this issue. To attain flexibility, it would also be helpful to have a set process for requesting and approving exceptions with a limit to the number of times it can be done in a set time frame. That way, fair staffing practices can be achieved and people will be happy!