Somewhere around week five or six of peak, a lot of floors hit the same spot. The extra Saturdays that felt manageable in September start showing up as call-offs and slower lines.
Mandatory overtime is often the fastest lever when volume spikes. Used all season, it starts to backfire.
What Mandatory Overtime Costs You
If your crew is on its sixth straight weekend while the rest of the industry celebrates Manufacturing Month, they are probably not in a celebrating mood.
OSHA points out that long work hours can raise the risk of injuries and accidents and contribute to worker fatigue. A tired crew late in a double is not the crew you want running a forklift.
Attendance takes a hit too. When people cannot get a day off any other way, some of them will take one anyway.
Spread the Load
Overtime tends to land on the same reliable people, because they keep saying yes. That works for a while. Eventually the people you count on most are the ones calling off.
A rotating list or a volunteer-first sign-up sheet keeps extra hours from piling onto your best workers, and it helps the process feel fair to everyone on the crew.
Post the Schedule Earlier
Finding out on Thursday that Saturday is mandatory makes it hard for anyone to line up childcare or a ride. Even a few extra days of notice gives people a chance to make it work instead of calling off.
If volume forecasts are shaky, post a likely overtime schedule and confirm it later. Most people would rather plan around a maybe than get caught off guard.
When Mandatory Overtime Means You Are Short-Staffed
Sometimes the overtime is a sign the crew is simply too small for the volume. Adding a few people through your staffing partner can cost less than paying time and a half to a worn-out team, especially once you factor in mistakes and call-offs.
Have this conversation with your partner now, mid-season. A good partner should be able to tell you how quickly they can add people and which workers they already know perform well on your floor, since they keep performance history on everyone they place.
If you only hear from your partner when you send an order, ask whether they have noticed the overtime pattern on their end. They may hear about burnout before you do, since workers often vent to their recruiter instead of their supervisor.
The Takeaway
Peak is not over yet. Pick one change you can make this week, whether that is posting next week’s schedule a few days earlier or asking your staffing partner to cover the next mandatory Saturday.
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Edited with AI assistance