- Reduce and control costs
- Increase productivity
- Improve service levels
- Understand and meet your true demand
- Use time more effectively
- Improve work life balance
- Increase labour flexibility
- Manage seasonality and volatility
11.5% Labour cost saving
Staff turnover reduced by 10%
- We provide the structure to guide your project to successful implementation
- We can be as involved as you want us to be; from high end strategic advice to providing working time audits and strategic reviews
- We use our vast experience, knowledge and specialist tools to recommend solutions to increase profitability and productivity
20% increase in throughput
Manufacturing efficiency increased by 30%
- WORK Scheduling: Powerful shift pattern and rota design tool
- WORK Management: Comprehensive labour resource management system
- WORK Time: Delivers real-time labour supply information
- WORK Employee Self Service: Empowers employees to manage time off and other workforce variables efficiently
Time saving of 25% in day-to-day
organisation of labour
Manor Bakeries
Manor Bakeries Limited, Barnsley
“Exceedingly” flexible workforce
Background
The largest of Manor Bakeries’ four manufacturing units employs 1000 staff to produce Mr Kipling, Lyons and Cadbury cake brands, as well as private label production for major retailers. Customer demand is very seasonal, with production increasing from April, continuing through the summer months, and massively peaking between September and December to meet the Christmas demand. Historically, temporary staff were recruited from the local labour market to fulfil the increased production demand, but problems and difficulties associated with short-term recruitment and termination, including reduced manufacturing efficiencies and productivity levels, and the company’s newly achieved Investors in People status, prompted the investigation to find an alternative work strategy to deal with the uplift in production demand.
Solution
It was proposed to employ a larger number of permanent staff on the evening and night shifts and designed a number of different shift patterns that aligned working and non-working hours with the demand for low and high production. A number of different shift patterns were designed, each meeting the need for flexibility on behalf of both the Management Team and the employees’ union.
The year was split into different segments, and shifts were created with varying levels of worked and non-worked hours for different times of the year. A number of flexi-shifts were also agreed to enable the workforce to take two consecutive weeks off, subject to management approval, and to meet any emergencies that required staff to work extra hours. Provisions for additional requests for time off were established, and the new working time arrangements allowed for the implementation of new pay structures.
Results
The positive results of the new shift patterns achieved universal acceptance. Overall hours of work increased slightly and an additional 100 permanent staff were taken on for the evening and night shifts, thus eliminating most of the temporary staff recruitment and enabling the Company to recruit from a different, higher calibre labour market, which has led to higher efficiencies, increased productivity and less waste. Staff are more flexible with regard to their hours of work and there is appreciation of the notice given and the benefits of additional time off. There has been a marked increase in employee morale and team spirit.
Our clients include
Solutions across all sectors
2012
Events, Forums & Training Days
As well as providing consultancy and software tools for working time change strategies, we also host educative working time change events which we run periodically throughout the year.
Forthcoming Events
Working Time Change Masterclass
28th February 2012, The Royal Holloway University of London
“How Lean Employee Resourcing can reduce costs and meet the customers rising expectations”
This particular Masterclass targets the challenges faced by the public sector.
Working Time Change Forum
14th & 15th March 2012 , The 6th Annual Working Time Forum
“The Economic and Financial case for change and the principles of Lean Employee
Resourcing”
Suitable for both private and public sectors
Feed-back from previous delegates:
“The speakers were most relevant because of the practical information given regarding the implementation of annualised hours” Wessex Water
“We thoroughly enjoyed the event, and each presentation had something of relevance to our organisation” Wedgwood
“ The Masterclass provided a good insight into the long journey required, it also showed that there are many potential solutions” United Biscuits
“A well structured seminar that raised and answered a lot of questions” Vets Now Ltd
“Very interesting day & a good introduction to what I am sure is a significant opportunity to Faccenda” Faccenda Foods
“a very informative event” George Wilkinson Ltd (Household goods manufacturer)
“An excellently organised event, very useful” the AA
“A really interesting and informative day” BAA
“The content of the course made you think how you could improve efficiency in your business” Scott Timber Limited
“A valuable course” GlaxoSmithKline
“There was great cross industry representation, with articulate and enthusiastic speakers”. Heinz
“A very enjoyable forum” Johnston Sweepers
“The forum had a good overall structure with a good variety of speakers” Kraft
“Very useful conference/seminar” Moog
“We found the forum rewarding and would recommend it to others” The Pall Corporation
Latest News
To find out more about the many services available from Working Time Solutions – including consultancy, software and Lean-ER itself – then please don’t hesitate to contact us or submit an information request and we shall be happy to find out how we can help. All our solutions start with talking and listening: we look forward to beginning the conversation soon.