Shift scheduling in a call-centre considering staff well-being: a case study

The staff rostering problem has attracted interest of researchers for decades with the aim to minimise cost or maximise customer service. However, although some studies have incorporated modelling of well-being related constraints such as working hours legislation, and isolated aspects related to staff fatigue, preferences, or workload, the explicit and joint integration of multiple occupational health–based well-being measures into cyclic shift design and rostering remains largely unexplored. Conversely, numerous studies, particularly in the field of occupational medicine, have explored the impact of shift work on the health and well-being of staff. In our study, we consider a real-world call-centre, which must provide 24/7 service by staff who work cyclic shifts. We develop a model for cyclic shift design, which determines optimal start of shifts and their durations and generates work schedules to meet the given demand for service. The main research contribution of this study is the inclusion of the concept of staff well-being: Fatigue Index, work-life balance measures, and deviations from Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines. Our criteria for assessing the merit of a roster involve defining objectives related to efficiency, effectiveness, and well-being. Upon comparing our findings with the manually crafted call-centre roster, we ascertain that it is feasible to enhance staff well-being without compromising the efficiency and effectiveness of the roster.