-= Thought =- Rostering

A big issue for us this week has been rostering.

 

We use a seniority based roster bid process. This means that for the length of tenure, people progressively get better shifts. It's not a perfect system, but it's what the staff wanted when we put it to them.

 

The problem being this time is that people wants exceptions.

 

We need people here 24 hours x 7 days, but we have two staff members who work the graveyard period (Midnight to 8am). So this means we need to roster Mon - Sun, 8am to midnight. Everyone signed agreements when they started that they would be able to work 24 x 7 as it's a f***ing call centre.

 

But no, we have one staff member who is complaining because he never gets to spend time with his 'partner' (his male partner), can't get to his religious (i.e. cult) commitments and plan well doesn't want to work except when he wants to work.

 

This would be fine, but he's also a pain in the posterior with his complaints and issues. One of his latest, and possibly most ridiculous is that he couldn't sit in his chair as his testicles were being squashed between him and the chair. As such, he wanted another chair, or medical leave with which to heal up from the pain this was causing him.

 

The other guy is almost, but not quite, as bad with regards to rosters, in that he wants everyone to go through the same process (though we do need to do a couple of exceptions .. like for the trainer so he can train when people are here). Oh, and he doesn't want to work weekends.

 

It's never easy. I personally think we should just give the roster to the agents and tell them to sort it out as best they can. Maybe make the two biggest complainers the job and let them handle the complaints.