Personal fatigue and delay is an adjustment that workforce management specialists make to labor standards. It accounts for time lost due to employees’ personal needs, fatigue, and unavoidable delays.
Unavoidable Delays
Most jurisdictions have regulations against employees working continuously through an entire shift. Even if that weren’t the case, employees aren’t robots. Throughout an employee’s day, they need breaks for their personal needs. Customer requests, managerial instructions, and technology issues may arise, delaying employees from completing their tasks.
Without personal fatigue and delay allowances, labor standards would assume continuous work throughout shifts. They would also assume that staff seamlessly transition work from one shift to the next. We all know that isn’t always the case.
Personal Time and Fatigue Allowance
Businesses need an accurate idea of the time their staff normally take performing regular tasks to develop effective personal time and fatigue allowances. When supported by quantifiable data, these allowances can help maximize labor productivity.
Many businesses use predetermined motion time systems (PMTS) or time & motions studies to build out accurate labor standards.
Adjusting for personal fatigue and delay means your labor standards more accurately reflect the reality of your employees’ workday. More importantly, it’s a vital part of labor demand curve accuracy and scheduling effectiveness.
