Introduction
Patika shift planning system offers powerful features to help you effectively manage your staff and create fair shift schedules. In this article, we will examine in detail four key features you can use in staff management: Part-Time Staff, Overtime Limit, Staff Classes, and Work Modes. By using these features correctly, you can both increase staff satisfaction and create more efficient shift schedules.
1. Part-Time Staff Feature
What is Part-Time Staff?
The part-time staff feature allows you to properly manage staff who do not work full-time in the system. When this feature is activated, special rules come into effect for the staff member and shift planning is done according to these rules.
Characteristics of Part-Time Staff
The following special rules apply to staff marked as part-time:
- Target Hours Are Halved: Part-time staff's monthly target working hours are half of full-time staff. For example, if the target for full-time staff is 160 hours, it will be 80 hours for part-time staff.
- Excluded from Weekend Fairness: Part-time staff are excluded from weekend fairness calculations. This ensures a fairer distribution of weekends among full-time staff.
- Excluded from Shift Type Fairness: Part-time staff are also excluded from shift type fairness calculations. This ensures a more balanced distribution of shift types among full-time staff.
- Minimum Working Hours Are Halved: Part-time staff's minimum working hours are also halved. This allows for more flexible planning for part-time staff.
- Maximum Overtime Hours: Part-time staff have a special maximum overtime hour limit. This limit can be set in shift configuration as "Part-Time Maximum Overtime Hours" (default: 10 hours).
When to Use?
You can use the part-time staff feature in the following situations:
- For staff whose weekly working hours are less than half of full-time staff
- For student nurses or interns
- For staff with part-time work contracts
- For staff working part-time due to special circumstances
How to Set?
On the staff management page, you can mark staff as part-time using the switch button in the "Part-Time" column in the table. This feature can also be set when adding or editing staff.
Example Scenario:
If your hospital has both full-time and part-time nurses:
- Full-time nurses: Work 40 hours per week, included in all fairness calculations
- Part-time nurses: Work 20 hours per week, excluded from fairness calculations
This way, the system makes a fair distribution among full-time nurses while applying special rules for part-time nurses.
2. Overtime Limit
What is Overtime Limit?
Overtime limit allows you to directly set the maximum overtime hours a staff member can work per month. When the toggle is off, overtime is distributed equally among all staff. When the toggle is on, you can set a custom hour limit (10-500) per nurse.
How Does It Work?
The overtime limit system works as follows:
- Equal Distribution (Default): When the toggle is off, overtime is distributed equally among all staff and the global limit applies.
- Custom Limit: When the toggle is on, you can set a custom hour limit for that nurse. They will be excluded from hours balancing and can work up to the specified overtime hours.
When to Use?
You can set overtime limits in the following situations:
- Health Issues: You can set a low limit for staff with pregnancy, chronic illness, or temporary health issues.
- Personal Preferences: You can set a low limit for staff who don't want to work overtime.
- Special Circumstances: When you want to control specific staff members' overtime hours, use a custom limit.
- Equal Distribution: For most staff, keep the toggle off for equal overtime distribution.
How to Set?
On the staff management page, activate the "Do you want to set per-nurse overtime limits?" option in the "Table Column Settings" section. You can then toggle the custom limit for each staff member in the table and enter an hour value between 10 and 500.
Example Scenario:
If your hospital has staff in three different situations:
- Pregnant Nurse: Custom limit: 20 hours - Can work a maximum of 20 overtime hours per month
- Normal Nurse: Toggle off - Overtime distributed equally
- Nurse Willing to Work Overtime: Toggle off - Stays in equal distribution group
Tips
- For staff without special circumstances, keep the toggle off for equal distribution.
- Limit value must be between 10 and 500 hours.
- Staff with custom limits are excluded from hours balancing.
- Regularly review and update limits.
3. Staff Classes
What is Staff Class?
Staff classes are a system used to group staff by experience level, category, or responsibility level. Class value can be between 1 and 10, and a lower number means higher priority.
How Does the Class System Work?
Staff classes are used as follows:
- Shift Requirements: You can set minimum class requirements for certain shifts. For example, if you set "Class 1 → 1" for a critical shift, it guarantees that at least one Class 1 staff works that shift.
- Organization: You can better manage staff by organizing them into meaningful groups.
- Reporting: You can create class-based reports and analyses.
- Planning Optimization: The system creates better plans by considering class requirements.
When to Use?
You can use staff classes in the following situations:
- Experience Levels: To distinguish between new, mid-level, and senior staff
- Departments: To group staff from different departments
- Responsibility Levels: To distinguish between staff at different responsibility levels
- Special Expertise: To mark staff with special training or certifications
How to Set?
On the staff management page, you can activate the class system by activating the question "Do you want to use staff classes?" in the "Table Column Settings" section. Then, you can enter the class value directly in the table.
Example Scenario:
If your hospital has three different experience levels:
- Class 1: New nurses (0-2 years experience)
- Class 2: Mid-level nurses (2-5 years experience)
- Class 3: Senior nurses (5+ years experience)
By setting "Class 3 → 1" for critical shifts, you can guarantee that at least one senior nurse is present in that shift.
Usage in Shift Settings
In shift configuration, you can set minimum class requirements for each shift type. For example:
- 24-Hour Shift: Class 1 → 1, Class 2 → 1 (At least one Class 1 and one Class 2 staff)
- 8-Hour Shift: Class 1 → 2 (At least two Class 1 staff)
With these settings, class requirements are automatically considered during shift planning.
4. Work Modes
What is Work Mode?
Work mode is a setting that determines how staff is included in shift planning. There are two different work modes:
- Normal Work: Staff is included in normal shift planning and participates in fairness calculations.
- Only on Requested Days: Staff only works on days they request and is excluded from fairness calculations.
Normal Work Mode
Normal work mode is the default mode and is used for most staff. In this mode:
- Staff is included in normal shift planning
- Participates in weekend fairness calculations
- Participates in shift type fairness calculations
- Included in overtime distribution
- System creates optimal shift plan for staff
Only on Requested Days Mode
"Only on Requested Days" mode is used for special circumstances. In this mode:
- Staff only works on days they request
- Excluded from fairness calculations
- System only assigns shifts on requested days
- Staff does not work on non-requested days
When to Use?
You can use "Only on Requested Days" mode in the following situations:
- Part-Time Workers: For staff who only want to work on certain days
- Special Circumstances: For staff who can only work on certain days due to personal reasons
- Temporary Staff: For temporarily working staff who are only available on certain days
- Flexible Work: For staff with flexible work arrangements
How to Set?
On the staff management page, you can change the mode using the switch button in the "Work Mode" column in the table. Mode change is applied immediately but requires saving.
Example Scenario:
If a staff member only wants to work on weekends:
- Set the staff's work mode to "Only on Requested Days"
- Go to the Calendar Requests page
- Create work day requests for the staff (e.g., all Saturdays and Sundays)
- Create shift planning
This way, the staff will only work on requested days (weekends).
Using Features Together
Feature Combinations
By using these features together, you can create more flexible and fair shift schedules:
- Part-Time + Custom Limit: For part-time staff who don't want to work overtime
- Class + Custom Limit: High class and custom overtime limit combination for experienced staff
- Only Request + Part-Time: For part-time staff who only want to work on certain days
Example Scenario: Mixed Staff Structure
If your hospital has staff in different situations:
- Full-Time Senior Nurse: Class 3, Equal distribution, Normal Work
- Full-Time New Nurse: Class 1, Equal distribution, Normal Work
- Part-Time Nurse: Part-Time active, Equal distribution, Normal Work
- Pregnant Nurse: Class 2, Custom limit: 20 hours, Normal Work
- Weekend Worker: Class 2, Equal distribution, Only on Requested Days
With these combinations, optimal working conditions are provided for each staff member and a fair shift schedule is created.
Table Column Settings
Column Visibility Control
On the staff management page, you can control which columns are visible from the "Table Column Settings" section:
- Part-Time Column: You can make it visible by activating the question "Do you have part-time staff?"
- Overtime Limit Column: You can make it visible by activating the option "Do you want to set per-nurse overtime limits?"
- Class Column: You can activate the class system by activating the question "Do you want to use staff classes?"
Feature Explanations
Below the table column settings section, there is detailed information explaining what each feature does:
- Staff Class: How classes are used and how they are applied in shift requirements
- Overtime Limit: How the limit works and how it is set
- Part-Time Staff: Characteristics and rules of part-time staff
- Work Mode: What work modes do and when they are used
Best Practices
1. Keep Staff Information Organized
Regularly review and update staff features and settings. Immediately reflect changing circumstances (pregnancy, health issues, etc.) in the system.
2. Use Features Reasonably
Use each feature only when really necessary. Too many restrictions or special settings can make shift planning difficult.
3. Communicate with Staff
Learn about your staff's special circumstances and preferences. Open communication leads to better planning results.
4. Test Regularly
After making your settings, create test shifts to check the results. This ensures that your settings are working correctly.
5. Consider Fair Distribution
When making settings for staff with special circumstances, ensure that other staff also work fairly. Excessive special settings can increase the workload of other staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is maximum overtime hours set for part-time staff?
In the shift configuration page, you can set the maximum overtime hours for part-time staff using the "Part-Time Maximum Overtime Hours" setting. Default value is 10 hours.
What is the difference between overtime limit and staff class?
Overtime limit determines the maximum overtime hours a staff member can work per month. Staff class, on the other hand, indicates the staff's experience level or category and is used in shift requirements.
What is the difference between "Only on Requested Days" mode and part-time feature?
The part-time feature affects staff's working hours and status in fairness calculations. "Only on Requested Days" mode determines which days the staff will work. Both can be used together.
Does changing staff class affect shift schedules?
Yes, changing staff class can affect shift requirements. If there are minimum class requirements for a shift, changing staff class can affect the probability of being assigned to that shift.
Conclusion
Patika's staff features and settings offer powerful tools to optimize your shift planning. By correctly using the part-time staff, overtime limit, staff classes, and work modes features, you can both increase staff satisfaction and create more efficient shift schedules.
With these features:
- You can properly manage staff in different situations
- You can ensure fair overtime distribution
- You can set shift requirements based on class
- You can support flexible work arrangements
Activate these features from the "Table Column Settings" section on the staff management page and take your shift planning to the next level. Create fairer, more efficient, and more satisfying shift schedules with Patika!