The 12-hour, fixed shift: measuring satisfaction

On July 6, 1992, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) in Tampa, Florida, implemented a 12-hour, fixed shift for its uniformed patrol division. As with any major change to traditional practices, conversion to the 12-hour schedule opened the department to both praise and criticism from the rank and file. However, responses to a survey given after the transition reflect broad support for the new schedule among the personnel of the patrol division. This support and the many advantages that the modified schedule accords to the sheriff's office and the community confirm that the benefits of the schedule shift outweigh the initial resistance and the considerable efforts necessary to implement this change.

CHANGING TIMES

Traditionally, patrol personnel in the HCSO worked 8.4 hours a day, 5 days a week (42 hours a week). Deputies were deployed on three forward rotating shifts, commonly referred to as "days," "evenings," and "midnights."

Among deputies, the constant adjustment of personal, family, and physical needs to the ever-changing demands of the job led to a high degree of dissatisfaction with the rotating deployment system. Due to the inflexibility of rotating deployment, the schedule provided for minimal weekends off - a real liability in a society that cherishes free time on Saturdays and Sundays. The schedule also placed special burdens on personnel with young children; many families were forced to employ three separate childcare providers to cover the different shifts.

From a management perspective, the rotating schedule led to massive amounts of overtime due, in part, to the short overlap between shifts. Insufficient overlapping made it difficult for deputies to transfer existing calls for service from one shift to the next. Even worse, the schedule's inflexibility would not allow adequate redistribution of patrol personnel to cover peak work periods in the late afternoon and evening.

In response to the shortcomings of the traditional rotating deployment schedule, the sheriff distributed a questionnaire to patrol personnel in order to identify factors critical to creating a new, more efficient deployment system. After assessing the preliminary results with his staff, the sheriff disseminated followup questionnaires, held committee meetings, and visited patrol personnel during roll calls. After considerable consultation and discussion, the sheriff's staff and patrol division personnel agreed that the division would adopt a 12-hour, fixed-shift schedule. However, before implementation of the new plan, all uniformed personnel were given the opportunity to vote on the proposed change in the patrol schedule. Sixty-five percent voted in favor of the patrol division's conversion to the 12-hour, fixed shift system.

As part of the agreement, individual patrol deputies could bid for their preferred shift and supervisor. The final order of bidding was based on a numerical score determined by each deputy's time in rank (total months at current rank) and the weighted score from the employee's most recent performance evaluation. The flexibility of the new 12-hour, fixed schedule replaced the rigidity of the old rotating schedule. Soon, the advantages both for line personnel and for management became apparent.

ADVANTAGES OF THE 12-HOUR SHIFT

For Patrol Personnel

The new schedule contains several features that benefit patrol personnel. Under the new shift schedule, patrol personnel work longer days (12 hours versus 8.4), but the deputies:

* Never work more than 3 consecutive days

* Have off 14 days per month rather than 8 days under the old system, and

* Work only every other weekend.

In addition, the fixed shift allows for more stable personal and family lives and eliminates the added physical stresses caused by adjusting to rotating shifts.

For Management

The 12-hour shift schedule also provides many advantages for manager's. Most important, the expanded daily shifts require only two shifts to work a 24-hour period, creating a personnel surplus. This surplus allows managers to deploy an additional shift to cover the peak service period. Further, staggered reporting times for the day and night shifts provide a 1-hour overlap in personnel. Because calls taken between shifts can be assigned to the incoming shift, this 1-hour overlap in work schedules virtually eliminates overtime. What little overtime remains primarily results from calls received at the end of the peak shift.

SATISFACTION SURVEY

One year after implementation of the 12-hour shift schedule, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office conducted a survey of its patrol personnel. To obtain an accurate perception of employee satisfaction with the 12-hour shift schedule, the authors developed an informal questionnaire and administered it to 102 deputies who had worked under both the old, rotating schedule and the new, 12-hour schedule. Respondents who fit this criteria were chosen at random from squads in the HCSO's two patrol districts.

The results of the survey revealed widespread support for the 12-hour, fixed schedule. In response to the statement, "I like the 12-hour shift as opposed to the 8.4-hour shift," 95 percent of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed.

Because much of the initial resistance to the fixed schedule focused around the demands of working 12-hour versus 8.4-hour days, the questionnaire posed several questions specifically relating to the effects of working longer shifts. Ninety-five percent of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they had become "...used to the length of the 12-hour shift." Eighty-three percent responded favorably to the statement, "My productivity has increased since the inception of the 12-hour shift."

Over 75 percent reported less job stress as a result of the 12-hour shift. Eighty percent agreed or strongly agreed that their commitment to the organization had increased due to the 12-hour shift schedule.

The schedule also received high marks in more ancillary areas. Eighty percent of the respondents said that the 12-hour schedule afforded them more time to conduct latent investigations and to become better acquainted with local residents. Fifty-one percent reported no increase in off-duty court time. Almost all respondents (97 percent) reported having more time for their families due to the extra days off.

CONCLUSION

Organizations harbor an intrinsic resistance large-scale change. Although this resistance never is overcome easily, successful conversion to the 12-hour shift in the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shows that where change is warranted and is beneficial to both line personnel and management, it can be accepted and even embraced.

In the case of converting to a 12-hour, fixed schedule, success resulted largely from two factors. First, the 12-hour shift concept holds several clear advantages over the less flexible rotating schedule. Second, HCSO administrators solicited employee input at every stage when developing the new schedule. This methodical process ensured meaningful dialogue between administrators and line personnel thus providing employees with a strong sense of involvement in shaping an integral component of their work environment. Such an approach is a recipe for success.

Corporal Walker and Corporal Eisenberg serve with the Hillsborough County Sheriff"s Office in Tampa, Florida.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office 12-hour, Fixed Shift Schedule

HCSO patrol personnel are divide into an "A" shift and a "B" shift. They work converse schedules; deputies assigned to shift A work on days that deputies on shift B are off duty. The grids below reflect 2-week schedule cycles for both shifts. Deputies in each group are further divided into "day," "night," and "afternoon," shifts, each of which lasts 12-hours. W = work day.

"A" Shift (2-Week Cycle)

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