(P-BC-58) The Benefits of Implementing Flexible and Fixed Shifts for Mobile Blood Donor Collections Teams

Background/Case Studies: Before 2023, all Mobile Collection staff shifts were scheduled on a floating schedule to service the community's needs. Each week the Mobile Collection staff worked a different shift with a different set of days off. The turnover rate was high at 57.69%, and the need for employees to adjust their work-life balance had become a priority unlike ever before. This led to a decrease in morale and productivity and made it difficult for staff to plan for their future. To solve this, the organization implemented select fixed shift schedules, allowing each employee to work the same shifts each week and have a stable work-life balance

Study

Design/Methods:

To satisfy the Mobile Collections staffing needs and also offer Mobile Collection schedules to employees that aid in a conducive work-life balance, 4 mobile schedule models were surveyed, e.g., 4-day work week, fixed - Monday & Saturday Off, flex without overtime, and flex with overtime. The results of the survey were analyzed and measured to include the number of staff required to work each scheduling model. This was compared to the number of staff needed to schedule and book drives.

Results/Findings:

The survey responses indicated that the preferred schedule was the fixed schedule with Monday and Saturday off, the 4-day work week ranked 2nd, the flex schedule with overtime ranked 3rd, and the flex schedule without overtime ranked 4th. An optimal 150 staffing level was needed to permanently launch the scheduling program. In May of 2023, preferred schedules were assigned to each Mobile Phlebotomist based on their chosen selection. The assigned flex schedules were given additional compensation per hour. By March 2024, within the first 10 months of the newly implemented Mobile Scheduling program, unscheduled call-ins were reduced by 10%, and the turnover rate was reduced by 38%.

Conclusions:

The program was successful in achieving its goal of optimizing staffing levels and providing additional compensation for Mobile Phlebotomists who were assigned to the flex schedules with operational efficiency and employee satisfaction. All four models resulted in a decrease in unscheduled call-ins and a decrease in the turnover rate. This improved morale and productivity, as employees had more control over their time and were able to plan for their future.