Operating around the clock can provide lots of benefits to businesses worldwide. Companies use 24/7 shift schedules to achieve this, which can be challenging to use for the first time. An excellent way of managing these schedules is with a popular productivity tool: time tracking software.

In this article, we’ll explore exactly that. We’ll take a look at why you might want to keep your business operational 24/7 and how time tracking can help you with it. We’ll also cover the challenges of 24/7 schedules and the role of time tracking in solving them.

The basics of 24/7 shift schedules

As you might already know, operating a business 24/7 simply involves running it non-stop. To achieve this, companies generally employ several people, as a single professional can’t work for 24 hours continuously. A 24/7 shift schedule does exactly this with shifts, meaning multiple employees will work at different times of the day within 24 hours. 

Typically, such schedules involve three people working 8 hours each. But, it is also possible to achieve 24/7 operation with as few as 2 people, as long as they’re OK with working 12-hour shifts. Going the other way, you could also hire 6 people to work with part-time schedules for the same effect, though this is not a common practice.

24-hour shift schedule examples

There are many ways of using a 24-hour shift schedule at your business. In fact, there are so many we won’t cover even a significant portion of them in this article. But, the most popular ones include the 4-on 3-off, the 24-on 48-off, and the continental schedules.

The 4-on 3-off schedule

The 4-on 3-off shift is pretty simple: employees work for 4 days on one shift before taking a rest for 3 days. When they return, they will work a different shift. Such schedules typically use 8-hour workdays with day, night, and evening shifts.

The 24-on 48-off schedule

The 24-on 48-off shift is similar to the 4-on 3-off, but its name shows how many hours professionals will work and rest, in place of days. As you may have guessed, this schedule involves 24-hour shifts. Because of this, it is only used for professions where work isn’t constant, such as in emergency services. When there are no ongoing calls, these professionals will be able to catch up on some rest.

The continental pattern

The continental pattern involves working for 7 days straight and then resting for 2 or 3 days. The variance in the rest days comes from dividing the week into three parts. Each part is for one shift or a period of rest, which employees will take on a rotating basis. This 24/7 shift schedule offers a more gradual transition between shifts. Employees will have more time to adjust before each change, which is especially important for their sleeping patterns.

The benefits of a 24/7 shift schedule

Running a business around the clock can be quite beneficial. Key advantages include increased output, enhanced customer service, and maximized efficiency.

Increased output

The first benefit of 24-hour shift schedules is pretty obvious. If your company operates for longer, it will be able to make and sell more products. Your team will be able to make more sales and help more customers complete their purchases. In general, if opportunities are waiting for your firm outside of standard work hours, your staff will be able to take advantage of them.

Enhanced customer service

A key place where 24/7 shift schedules are used is customer service. They will allow you to answer questions and resolve issues promptly, regardless of where your clients are located. This can be an important asset for companies in several industries, like IT and software.

Maximized efficiency

Maximizing efficiency is a key consideration for industries like manufacturing. Lots of businesses producing physical products in dedicated spaces rent their facilities. These include everything from small machine shops to larger manufacturing plants. 24-hour schedules maximize the value of their payments and enhance cash flow. The practice is so widespread, that many firms that own their properties still operate around the clock. Instead of cash flow, these companies are more concerned with the opportunity costs of leaving equipment and shop space dormant.

The role of time tracking in 24/7 shift schedules

Having explored 24/7 shift schedules in-depth, let’s now cover the role of time tracking in using them.

Schedule shifts in advance

An excellent way time tracking software can help you run your business around the clock is by scheduling employee shifts. Of course, your time tracker will need to have this functionality built-in. If it does, using shift scheduling is pretty straightforward. For example, WebWork’s Shift Scheduling allows you to create multiple shifts with different parameters, like working days and hours. You can then assign these to any workspace member you like. The tracker will use these shifts for many things, such as to remind your team about the start of their work an hour in advance.

Track attendance

Continuing on the topic of shift start times, you can also use this to track attendance. High-quality apps will monitor when team members start working and determine whether they are on time or late. WebWork will even let you see when employees leave early or don’t track enough time throughout the day.

How time tracking helps with the challenges of 24/7 shift schedules

To bring this guide to a close, let’s explore how time tracking can help you with the challenges of 24/7 shift schedules.

Increased operating costs

One of the direct effects of operating a business around the clock is an increase in operating costs. You will need to spend money to keep your company running at times it would have usually been dormant. While the increased output should cover these costs in most cases, running at certain times of the day can be inefficient. If you have any projects with tight margins, they might go over budget. In cases like this, a time tracker with a feature like Project Budgeting can be quite beneficial.

The need to hire extra staff

One of the most important requirements of 24/7 shift schedules is having extra staff. Managing these people can be challenging, but time tracking can help here too. High-quality trackers that have lots of monitoring and reporting features will help you manage a larger team more effectively.

Regulatory compliance

Regulatory compliance is a major concern if you wish to operate around the clock with as few people as possible. To do this, you might want to assign 12-hour shifts to your employees. This will likely mean that they’ll work more than the standard 40 hours per week. Many jurisdictions consider these extra hours overtime, which usually require higher pay. A time tracker can help you calculate work hours and overtime pay accurately to comply with laws worldwide.

Employee wellbeing

A major concern for any 24-hour shift schedule is employee well-being. These schedules can have negative effects on the sleep and even work-life balance of shift workers. While it is harder to address sleep issues, you can maintain a healthy work-life balance with time tracking. High-quality apps like WebWork offer dedicated features that tell you if your team is overworked or even underworked.

Final thoughts

Running your business 24/7 can have lots of positive effects. You’ll need to use 24-hour shift schedules for this purpose, which can be tricky at first. Using a high-quality time tracker, you’ll be able to mitigate lots of the challenges of such schedules. This will allow you to boost your company’s productivity and take advantage of more opportunities to grow.