Night Shift Attrition: How Can We Stop the Team from Draining Away?

Dear Seniors, We are facing attrition every month in the team which works in the night shift. This has reached a stage where the team resembles a bucket with a hole. Please suggest how to find out why this is happening and if there are already industry practices in place to stop or at least minimize the rate.

Regards,
Neethu

If you are able to provide a little more detail, such as the type of organization, the process, and the number of team members, it will be helpful in finding the reason.

Regards,
Aji Variyath

Hi, we are in IT, and it's an Inside Sales and US recruitment team (15 members). Most attrition happens within 2-3 months of joining.

Regards,
Neethu

Addressing Attrition in the Workplace

Attrition is an issue faced by almost all companies worldwide, but some organizations and industries are experiencing excessive turnover. This is often due to the nature of the industry, specific job profiles, and the relatively young age of employees.

I suggest implementing the following strategies to address attrition:
- Changing employees' shifts every fortnight
- Establishing employee-friendly policies
- Reviewing hiring practices
- Providing better support and guidance to employees

These measures can help in effectively managing attrition rates.

If you mention during interviews that the applicant needs to work night shifts, then I don't think that night shifts are the reason people are leaving the company. Please look deeper, and I'm sure there must be something happening during these shifts which is creating the situation. It can be anything from low salary, long shifts, a bad boss, or else you need to make some changes in the hiring process. If it's not the above-mentioned things, then it can be a case of a bad hire.

Regards,

First of all, please conduct a 5 WHY and 1 HOW analysis. This is the best way to find out the exact reason and to take corrective action.

Hi, these folks are specifically hired for the night shift, and they are well aware during the hiring process that they will be working this shift. The HR coverage is low for them as the HR team works during the day shift. However, we are trying our best to be available online for them during the weekend, post office hours. Still, they are not opening up.

I am planning to have one-on-one discussions with them. Hopefully, I will figure out something. Thanks for the suggestions. 

Regards,
Neethu

Dear Neethu,

I know the reason for their quitting. I think you expect those team members working the night shift to work continually in the night shift, right? What I mean to say is, those people have to regularly report at a particular time at night and wind up their office the next day morning, am I right? Throughout their career, that is what you are expecting them to do, right?

If you answered my question "Yes," you will never be able to get rid of this problem.

Solution:

You can implement A, B, C shifts.

- **A Shift:** 6:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
- **B Shift:** 2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- **C Shift:** 10:00 p.m. - 6:00 a.m.

A certain number of people who come in A shift this week have to come in 'B' shift next week and 'C' shift the week after. This means they need to come on rotation. The 'C' shift person this week will report for duty in 'A' shift next week. By doing so, you will ensure there is always shift rotation.

I don't say that there will not be any absenteeism, but it will not be alarming. It will well be within your capacity to handle.

As far as your employees are concerned, in desperation to get some employment, they will say yes to the night shift only to gain breathing time to search for a new job. You are also fueling their efforts by conveniently putting them in the night shift so that they can attend an interview the next day without having to apply for leave or something. After a couple of months, they find a job of their convenience and vanish, and that is what is happening.

Hence, try out the "Shift rotation" model.

Regards,
Balaji

Good analysis, Mr. Balaji. Hi Neethu, you can study the reasons given by employees who left earlier before having one-to-one discussions with others. If you rotate them on day shifts as well, that may also solve the problem to some extent.

Regards, Vaishalee

Dear Neethu, I have put in thirty years of service in the Airlines Industry, out of which I have worked in shift duties for 25 years. I am still working in shift duties at the age of 56. Please consider a three-shift pattern of 8 hours per shift for either 5 or 6 days, with two days off after two night duties. Please avoid scheduling shifts continuously for day, afternoon, or night shifts for a whole week. Feel free to ask any questions related to shift duties.

Regards, Anoop Kishore Bhatnagar [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Addressing Night Shift Attrition

Neethu TK, We are experiencing attrition every month in the team that works the night shift. This issue has escalated to the point where the team resembles a bucket with a hole. Please suggest ways to identify the root cause of this problem and any existing industry practices to mitigate or reduce the attrition rate.

Regards, Neethu

You may also think about awarding some night allowances to those employees on night shifts. This will definitely motivate them if they receive additional perks.

Regards,
C.M. Prakash

Job rotation is one method where you can control attrition to some extent. If one person works the night shift for a week, then their next shift schedule can be after two weeks. Meanwhile, they may work the first or second shifts during the rest of the week.

A good environment and culture can contribute to reducing attrition by some percentage.

Regards,
R. Devarajan

In view of the nature of work, I do not think it will be possible to do day shifts or rotations. However, it is surprising that all HR is in the day. Surely there must be some on the night shift. Do you expect them to relate to you during the day?

Hiring Practices and Pay Scales

You need to look at your hiring practices and pay scales. If you are paying less than industry standards for the night shift, people will leave. You need to recruit people who have worked the night shift and know the problems and difficulties. A fresher will work for a month, get frustrated, and leave since he didn't realize how tough it is to work at night. Since the problems started recently, also check if there is any change - new manager, work change, introduction of a hostile element, etc.

Look at the medical literature on what happens to workers on the night shift and see what you can do to negate some of the effects. I know bright lights at work are very helpful.

Addressing Supervisor Issues

If you have a bad supervisor, you will not find out from the group discussions. Have the employees that are leaving talk to an HR person and have HR ask them probing questions about why they are leaving and see what patterns appear. Have HR conduct phone interviews, and you may get more honest answers.

Good Luck,
Michael

Mr. Balaji has provided all the points very correctly and effectively. Employees, at the time of joining, for the sake of employment, will agree to work the night shift. Many of them do not have real-world experience of how a night shift will be. There will be a saturation point; after that, people are not able to work in odd shifts.

In some cases, the employee feels burned out and overwhelmed and tries to seek another job that will provide relief from the night shift.

Usually, in many companies, the first three months are for training and mentoring purposes where employees are not stressed about targets and are allowed to learn the process. This period is known in our language as the honeymoon period. After this, employees are assigned certain tasks and targets. During this time, employees may seek another job in a different company to enjoy another honeymoon period. This is what is happening in the industry due to abundant opportunities.

Thanks and regards,

Raghunandan S

[QUOTE=samchandran;1574427]Dear Neethu,

First of all, please do a 5 WHY & 1 HOW analysis. This is the best way to find out the exact reason and take corrective action.

Hi Sam, Would be great if you could explain. I am not aware of this analysis.

BTW - There is no way they can work on the day shift. These are US recruiters. Their work timing is from 7 pm to 2 am. Also, rotating the shift will do more harm. They are just 15 folks with one manager.

Regards, Neethu

Dear Neetu,

What Mr. Balaji has mentioned is a widely used system in the production industry. If you follow this, the staff members would get some relief and have a chance to work during the daytime as well (I hope you are following this same system).

Conducting a Deep Analysis

A deep analysis is required to find the reasons and get a solution. Go to the root cause, such as whether you mention the working shift patterns at the time of the interview or selection, etc. Conduct an "Exit Interview" and ask the departing employees what their reasons are. Check their likes/dislikes and needs. Discuss with the Owners/Management and adopt appropriate measures. I hope you can reduce the attrition.

Regards

As I told you earlier, if you continually ask people to be present for night shifts, they will become fed up and quit. You may argue that it is daytime for your American counterparts when it is nighttime for your Indian employees.

When you are prepared to work at night, why not have the American counterparts also work at night, i.e., during your daytime? A thorough analysis is required.

Whenever a batch process extends beyond the shift hours, we used to maintain a log sheet where the employees of the night shift, at the end of their job, recorded what they did in the previous shift and how long the process would take. At times, the next shift employees would arrive early to meet their colleagues from the previous shift to understand what needs to be followed next. This helps in maintaining an uninterrupted flow of work in any shift operation.

If your organization is engaged in attending to certain customer queries or any other job that requires continual follow-up, then the above system can be adapted. You MUST have a system of round-the-clock shift operation.

Moreover, younger employees who work for a few months or years will eventually get married. When they are required to work the night shift while their spouse is employed in another company during the day shift, they do not meet at all. They might accept the night shift to address their current economic needs, but it will not last long. This can create tension between couples and may eventually lead to separation. I have come across many such cases, including one involving my own relative, who did not have a child for a long time after marriage and was pressured by their parents to quit such an organization.

Therefore, a lot of socio-economic problems are attached to the system of "Your way of working." Think carefully and make an appropriate decision.

Regards,
Balaji

Understanding Shift Job Challenges

A shift job comes with its own understandable problems. I have personal experience in this from some time ago. Conduct a skip-level meeting, asking people to speak up after ensuring safety on all terms. Such meetings can bring out many small but important problems.

I will tell you a few situations that were revealed in a skip-level meeting: One employee stated the following, "I was processing a client request online during the night shift, and I had to suddenly run towards the restroom as I had to puke. I also had a fever. A team leader who saw this was not only upset with me but turned this into an issue without caring to find out why I did that."

This is just a small example. You never know how helpful it can be to hold such meetings in trying situations.

Feedback Mechanisms

Another way would be to give out feedback forms to be submitted in writing in person only to one concerned and responsible authority. This will also bring out incidents that affect people. This is particularly useful for those employees who don't open up quickly.

Exit Interview Considerations

What is your exit interview pattern? Have you spent enough time and thought to find out the concerns during an exit interview?

Regards,
Madhu_ratna

I have been working in US Recruitment for the past 6 months, and this is my first job. Even my company is currently facing an attrition problem. In your case, I believe there could be two reasons for attrition:

1. If any sudden changes occur, such as setting new targets or increasing workloads.
2. If employees feel that there has been no improvement in their performance appraisals.

In my opinion, these reasons might be contributing to the attrition issue.

Hi, there is someone in that team who is spoiling the team. Please identify and take necessary action to rectify.

Best regards,
Milind

I would suggest making a thorough analysis from start (hire) to end (exit) and trying to understand their work procedures (how they are working, their satisfaction with current responsibilities or managers, etc.), or how they feel about the facilities and night shift benefits (such as free night food, transportation, etc.), if any. Then, go and talk to them.

Try to gain their confidence by showing that they are valued just like others who work during the day. Arrange some competitions, reward them, publish it through your company communication channels. Organize meetings with company seniors every 3 or 6 months. Motivating them will increase trust.

If there is no HR present during the night shift, conducting a survey is the best option to gather their issues, comments, and work satisfaction levels. If you want to make a shift, you can maintain a work tracker in your team folder (accessible by all 15 members) covering each member's tasks with progress status or comments. This will help team members stay informed about any issues.

Regards,

Dear Neethu,

Following links will help you on '5 why' analysis. Good luck.

Determine The Root Cause: 5 Whys 5-Why Analysis Method Tool

To me, continuous night shifts alone are a significant problem causing attrition. There are no easy solutions to this problem. You have already mentioned that shift rotation is not possible. I am sure you must be paying more and offering some extra benefits to employees exclusively and continuously working in the night shift. If not, take some measures to make it attractive.

But finally, you cannot expect someone to work continuously in a night shift. One will work in the night shift until they get the required experience and will shift to a day job or rotating shift job at the first opportunity.

In short, attrition will always be high in the case of a continuous night shift.

Analyzing Exit Interviews for Night Shift Attrition

An analysis of the exit interviews of employees leaving the night shift should reveal the reasons for attrition. Once the variables are listed, solutions can be found. In addition, incentives should be implemented where necessary.

Best wishes,
KJ

Hi KJ, I wish I had more interview inputs, but in most cases, candidates are absconding.

Regards, Neethu

As mentioned above, you need to find out the root cause of employees leaving the night shift. To do this, you should implement the practice of conducting "Exit Interviews." This way, you can automatically obtain the reasons for employees leaving their job. Subsequently, you can analyze the root causes identified and discuss them with your management to find better solutions.

To reduce the attrition rate, you need to fill out an exit interview sheet to identify problems. Additionally, you should conduct a job satisfaction survey immediately among night shift employees. Based on this information, you can develop a strategy to address attrition.

Regards,
Shivnendra K

You should consider taking an equal number of male and female candidates from the same age group and provide them with a more friendly and liberating atmosphere. This approach can significantly help in resolving the issue you are facing.

Regards,
Nishant

Understanding 5-Why & 1 How Analysis

The 5-Why analysis method is used to move past symptoms and understand the true root cause of a problem. It is said that only by asking "Why?" five times successively can you delve into a problem deeply enough to understand the ultimate root cause. By the time you get to the 4th or 5th why, you will likely be looking squarely at management practices.

One how will let you know how the present situation had occurred.

Hope it answers your query.