How to Keep Agents on Side When You Change Their Shift Patterns

Shift patterns are more than just boxes on a rota. They influence how people sleep, how they spend time with their families, and how they manage their health and wellbeing. This means there’s no margin for error – at all – when it comes to changing shift patterns!

Get it wrong and you risk higher absence and attrition. It’s as simple as that!

That’s why we asked our Readers Panel of experienced resource planners for their top do’s and don’ts, so you can make positive changes that ultimately support your operational needs and the agents working the shifts.

Always Ask “Is the Change Definitely Needed?”

Always challenge your planning team to propose a number of options before changing up people’s shifts.

Is the change definitely needed? Or could the same result be achieved through other means, e.g. recruiting part-time staff to cover peaks, evenings, and weekends?

Contributed by: Paul Allen, Head of Customer Support at Department for Education

Run a Simple Preference Survey First

Pavlos Vasilakis, WFM & CX Consultant, WFM Geek — Pavlos Vasilakis

Before making changes, it is essential to listen first! A simple preference survey is the best place to start.

Ask agents what kind of schedule works best for them. You will not get one clear answer, and that is to be expected. Some people want stability and repetition. Others prefer rotation in start times or working days.

The real value of the survey lies in understanding these differences. When combined with customer demand and business needs, these insights help build a shift system that is fair, flexible, and cost-efficient.

Contributed by: Pavlos Vasilakis, WFM & CX Enthusiast

Double-Check Your Plans Are Robust Enough to Cover Different Periods of the Year

Paul Gardner, Resource Planning Manager at Haier Europe — Paul Gardner

What does the interval data look like historically for different weeks in the year? Get your sample and see if the trends stay the same or if you see a big difference.

Your new pattern might fit the demand one week but may not necessarily suit any/all of the others during the year.

Demand changes, so when designing static shift patterns, it is important to make sure they are robust enough to cover different periods of the year. It is also important to find that middle ground that provides the best coverage for most of the intervals in the day.

Also, consider if the new patterns come with flexibility to change or are they fixed? Each has a different benefit to the agent and/or business, but the way you design your shifts may differ.

Contributed by: Paul Gardner, Resource Planning Manager at Haier Europe

Actively Involve Agents Through Meetings and Focus Groups

Tim Milburn, Planning Manager at emovis — Tim Milburn

In August last year, we undertook a review of our shift patterns to address operational inefficiencies.

While overall staffing levels were sufficient, approximately 30% of agents were working historical patterns that created imbalances – some periods were overstaffed while others were understaffed.

To resolve this, I collaborated with Operations and Human Resources, ensuring compliance with the legal requirement to consult employees.

Early and transparent communication proved critical. Clearly explaining the reasons for change and highlighting benefits for both the business and employees helped reduce resistance.

We actively involved agents through meetings and focus groups, fostering a sense of ownership and fairness.

Provide Clear Visibility of Schedules Well in Advance

A phased implementation approach also worked well: piloting new patterns with a small group allowed us to gather feedback and make adjustments before a full roll-out.

Additionally, providing clear visibility of schedules well in advance was essential, as last-minute changes quickly erode trust.

Contributed by: Tim Milburn, Global Workforce Planning Manager at Emovis

Explore Voluntary Shift Changes to Increase Buy-In

Arlyne Pardo, Senior Workforce Manager at DASH BPO — Arlyne Pardo

Quite recently, our client’s onshore team adjusted their schedule from 7.00am to 7.00pm, while our operation continued running around the clock.

As a result, after 7.00pm, our team was fully responsible for managing the queues, without the onshore support we had previously relied on.

The main challenge was finding the right staffing balance in this new set-up while still protecting service levels and team morale.

One of the ways we approached this was to identify agents from other shifts who could assist and gave Operations the option to speak directly with agents to explore voluntary shift changes. This approach helped increase buy-in and reduce resistance to the change.

Continuously Monitor Coverage to See If the Adjustments Are Effective

After implementation, we didn’t treat the solution as final! We continuously monitored coverage and queue performance to validate whether staffing adjustments were effective.

When gaps or inefficiencies were identified, we returned to Operations with data-backed insights, clearly explaining where opportunities still existed, and the reasons behind them. Based on this, we continued to rebalance resources and refine coverage as needed.

Contributed by: Arlyne Pardo, Senior Workforce Manager at DASH BPO

See What’s Feasible – Not Just for Coverage, but for Colleague Wellbeing

Gavin Rogerson, Senior Global Workforce Planning Consultant at Xplor Technologies — Gavin Rogerson

I always start with two things: the data (what our demand looks like hour‑by‑hour) and the people (what predictability they need to live their lives well). From there, we co‑design options with a small group representing all regions.

Recently, while exploring a global follow‑the‑sun model, this approach helped us see what was feasible – not just for coverage, but for colleague wellbeing.

What looks like a tidy 4.00am start in EDT is a completely different conversation in BST or PHT. Those insights only surface when you involve people early.

Publish Simple Fairness Rules (e.g. No One Stuck on the Tough Shifts Forever!)

Clear principles matter too. We publish simple fairness rules, such as no one being stuck on the tough shifts forever, transparent weekend rotation, and an easy, no‑judgement swap process.

We also “give a little to get a little” with protected development time, stable notice periods, or shift differentials to recognize the harder slots.

Contributed by: Gavin Rogerson, Senior Global Workforce Planning Consultant at Xplor Technologies

Explain the Benefits of Getting It Right

Paul Allen, Head of Customer Support at Department for Education — Paul Allen

If you need to change shifts, consult with the affected staff as early as possible. Explain the challenge and the benefits of getting it right, e.g. reduced pressure at peak times, more availability for annual leave, etc.

Ask for their suggestions too! You may be surprised by people willing to work “unpopular” shifts, e.g. late evenings or weekends, if they fit with their lifestyle.

It can also help to understand what’s most important to agents regarding shift patterns (e.g. fixed rest days or weekend attendances) and try to accommodate them, if at all possible.

Offer Agents as Much Flexibility and Control as Possible to Soften the Blow

If you have a WFM/WFO system, make use of functionality such as preferences, shift-swaps, automated annual leave approval, etc. to offer agents as much flexibility and control as possible. You can set rules to ensure fairness and to protect service standards.

If you schedule breaks, consider not doing so. It might sound risky, but how many breaks adhere to the planned time when agents are stuck on calls? You could allow local control, e.g. no more than 2 per team on break at the same time, and build this into plans as a consistent shrinkage.

You could also consider offering other options like duvet days where agents can call early morning to take a day’s annual leave. You can set tight controls on numbers and reserve the right to decline but aim to approve where possible.

Contributed by: Paul Allen, Head of Customer Support at Department for Education

For advice on whether offering flexible breaks suits your contact centre, read our article: Is It Best to Schedule or Free-Style Agent Breaks?

Limit the Number of Start Times and Avoid Unnecessary Variations

Stability should be the foundation of any shift model. Most employees value predictable schedules, even if flexibility still matters. Limit the number of start times and avoid unnecessary variations. Too many options create confusion and fatigue.

Avoid asking employees to cover every possible shift type too! Moving from early mornings to nights and then evenings is exhausting and unsustainable. Dedicated shifts, or at most a blend of two shift types, work far better.

Contributed by: Pavlos Vasilakis, WFM & CX Enthusiast