New roster in only 4 weeks time

The modification of a shift roster is a process that usually takes around 4 months to complete. So Déhora sat down with employees in the Rijn and Lek water district to draw up a new roster for the crews of the vessels sailing on the Rijn and Lek rivers in only 4 weeks time.

The needs of the employees come first

The employees explained that they wanted to make a number of improvements. For example, they wanted to keep late shifts on a Friday before a weekend to a minimum, or to get rid of them all together. They also preferred to have Friday as a day off instead of Monday. In addition, the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (RWS) wanted the new shift rosters to be compatible with the rosters of the neighbouring districts, to ensure a smooth transition between Nieuwegein and the IJsselmeer and Zwolle. That would also make it possible for crews to swap shifts with each other. Déhora and the RWS agreed to spend four days studying the issue, after which the new roster would be ready. Six of the 20 employees took part in the project. The team leader focused on the alignment of the shift rosters with the other districts.

New work times and shift rosters

The first day was used to review the shift planning system and the wishes of the employees. The next two days were used to look at possible options with the employees. Thanks to a smartboard, the consequences of each scenario could be visualised immediately. This meant the proposed changes already had the approval of the employees, before they were implemented, by the end of day four. The final result was a new set of regulations for work times based on a single shift format, which included all the requested improvements. Finally, the new shift roster was also validated with a so-called RosterScan to make sure it was in compliance with the rules and regulations under the Working Hours Act.