Self rostering is a modern form of individualization in working time management, which allows employees to create their own work schedules taking into account HR needs. This innovative concept, which originated in Sweden, is becoming increasingly popular in Europe due to its benefits such as increased productivity, lower turnover, absenteeism and higher job satisfaction.

Recent years in human resources management have been a change in the approach to achieving goals and increasing the effectiveness of activities. The increasingly dynamic business environment forces us to undertake innovative projects, also in the field of working time management and the transition from collectivist orientation (meaning centralist decision-making) to the implementation of individualism in the area of working time. One of the emerging forms of individualization is self rostering, which means – in a nutshell – shifting the starting point in terms of creating work schedules to employees. Self rostering is defined as a work system that gives employees the opportunity to create their own schedule taking into account staffing needs.

The idea of giving employees more flexibility in their work schedules was first introduced in Sweden in the 60s in response to pressure from trade unions. After employers realized the benefits of self-scheduling, such as increased productivity, lower turnover, absenteeism and higher job satisfaction, the concept became increasingly popular. Today, independent work planning is an everyday reality in Sweden and is part of the social bond. If people can organize their own schedule, the relationship between work and private life improves, and they themselves feel that they can influence their working conditions. This reinforces their commitment to building the organization. When it is not possible to get everyone’s preferred schedule, the team has to solve the problem themselves, and managers must learn to give up familiar planning and trust the team. After the Scandinavian countries, the idea of self rostering is gaining popularity in Belgium and the Netherlands, among others. NCSI (Nederland’s Centrum voor Sociale Innovatie) has classified five forms of self rostering depending on the degree of autonomy that the employee has:

• Exchange of shifts – the employee has the ability to adjust the fixed schedule to their own preferences by exchanging shifts with colleagues.
• Wish-rostering – employees indicate their preferences, and the planner tries to take them into account.
• Shift-picking – employees choose changes already specified by the organization.
• Matching – using the IT system, people’s preferences are adjusted to organizational needs.
• Full self-rostering – the choice of working time is decided by the employee, and the employer adjusts the organizational needs to the availability of the employee.

The success of this organizational change is greatly influenced by the implementation process, in which four phases can be distinguished: evaluation, planning, implementation and evaluation. During the assessment phase, you should examine every aspect of the organization that may be affected by self-planning and identify possible obstacles. During the planning phase, it is extremely important to communicate the change so as to be sure that the project participants understand the principles of the project. Executives must accept that if employees are not given adequate time to adapt, they will be less interested in supporting self-planning. After employees recognize their responsibility in planning, managers should facilitate the process, not control it.

What is important in the idea of self-rostering is not only the change in the role of managers, but also technology (e.g. an appropriate IT system) that allows the employer to both provide such a possibility to employees, but also to implement it in a manner consistent with labor law or internal regulations. This is illustrated by the example of a planning model, where employees and supervisors go through the three phases described below each month.

Phase 1 is the creation of a preferred schedule by employees, and during this phase employees arrange their own schedules according to their preferences or needs. In order for the schedules arranged by them to meet the requirements of the Code and the company, the IT system supporting planning must verify the schedules arranged by employees on an ongoing basis. And not only in terms of formal compliance, but also in terms of employees’ competences and position.

In the second phase, the staffing is controlled, i.e. the presence of employees is related to the needs of the company. In this phase, the IT system, in addition to the requirements of the Code and the company, must control the working time planned by employees in relation to the staffing required by the organization in quantitative terms and in relation to the areas, positions and competences of employees. In this phase, communication between employees is extremely important and, as a result, the arrangement of schedules planned by employees in a way that meets the condition of their presence in relation to the staffing demand required by the organization as much as possible.

Phase 3 is the verification and approval of schedules by superiors. If, in the second phase, employees fail to agree on planned working hours to ensure the staffing required by the organisation, area supervisors must make changes to their schedules to ensure adequate staffing on individual days and hours.

In the process of implementing self-rostering, a distinction should be made between short-term goals, which include increased job satisfaction, employee autonomy, flexibility and development of communication and negotiation skills, and long-term goals, such as employee retention and implementation of EB activities. The ability to control your working time and adjust the schedule to your personal needs translates directly into job satisfaction, and in turn, higher satisfaction means higher employee engagement. Importantly, the results of self-rostering include improved efficiency (employees become more result-oriented, working in the most productive time for them) and cost reduction (including those related to redundancies). Offering self-rostering is also considered a competitive advantage of the organization, important especially in the current situation on the labor market.

Source: https://kadry.infor.pl/5725354,self-rostering-sposobem-na-work-life-balance.html

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.