Creative employee work schedules

Every golf course has its own maintenance and playing conditioning standards so employee work schedules can best serve everyone involved. Labor and other employee-related costs typically range from 50 to 70 percent of the total annual golf course maintenance operating budget. This requires superintendents to identify and use time/motion studies wisely.

The volume of maintenance practices desired on weekends, employee overtime and flex-scheduling hours are among the most concerning labor-related circumstances. Superintendents are using FAIRWAYiQ, taskTracker, MyShyft or other platforms to perform labor flow charts showing exactly how long it takes to perform all tasks, which subsequently aids in work scheduling.

Aspects of employee scheduling include, but are not limited to:

• Work/life balance flexible hours

• Inclement weather

• Priorities changing daily

• Split shifts

• Swapping shifts

• Syringe crews

• High school/FFA/retirees on reduced schedules

• Seasonal variations

• Four-hour off-peak hours extending the workday

• Tournaments

• Shotgun starts

• Aerification and other cultural practices

• Identifying peak and off-peak hours

• Outings

• Monday course closings

Additional budgeted employees hired to fill the gap when regular employees are off for sick days, vacation days and paid time off is trending. This ensures there’s always a full crew when required. Other scheduling considerations and variations include, but are not limited to:

• Where superintendents require an hour or
more of lead time so maintenance practices can occur ahead of play each morning
• Initial employee training and continual training during inclement weather
• Driving range/short game practice area scheduled closures for maintenance
• Employee referrals for prospective new employees
• Equipment managers and assistant mechanics varying schedules

Staging equipment to get the employees out the door faster

• Coffee breaks out on the course or combining morning coffee breaks with lunchtime to reduce wasted time traveling to and from the maintenance building

• Cross-training employees

• Shutting off equipment engines as golfers play through

• Smartphone use by employees can be a major problem in lost productivity

• Supervisors should be present for all work schedules

• Employee work culture

• Staggered weekend crews

• Autonomous equipment operations

• Complementary hot meals and soda fountain drinks at lunchtime

• Employees having every other weekend off is not as popular because of having to work 12 days in a row

Below are a few examples of successful creative work schedules that are tailored for each superintendent’s specific goals and objectives, figuring in a 30-minute lunchtime.

Two days off per week

This first schedule is popular, providing extra time to perform mowing tees, collars, approaches, fairways, intermediate roughs, roughs, raking bunkers and course setup on the weekends. This schedule is also popular with crew members because they have two days off per week. There usually is an assistant superintendent supervising each crew and they have the same days off as their crew members.

• Tuesday through Saturday, with Sunday and Monday off: half crew, assistant supervises the crew

• Sunday through Thursday, with Friday and Saturday off: half crew, assistant supervises the crew

• Full crews on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only

• Crew members have two consecutive days off per week — one weekend day and one weekday

• 40-hour week for each employee

Longer workdays, more days off

Another potential schedule includes two separate crews, each with three days off in a row:

• Tuesday through Friday, working four 10-hour days

• Friday through Monday, working four 10-hour days

• Equipment manager works with first crew

• Assistant mechanic works with second crew

• Assistant superintendents work with both crews

• 40-hour workweek for each employee

• Both crews work together on Fridays only.

Split crews

Another schedule includes a dedicated full-time weekday crew and separate dedicated part-time weekend/holiday crew. The full-time crew works eight hours per day Monday through Friday. This crew doesn’t work weekends or holidays and they work 40-hour weeks with an assistant superintendent on duty. The dedicated part-time crew works weekends and holidays, four to eight hours per day, with a supervisor also on duty.

Sunshine State schedule

The “Florida Schedule” is popular, with the crew working a half day on Fridays and four hours each on one weekend day:

• Monday through Thursday: Full crew works eight hours per day

• Friday: Full crew works four hours

• Saturday: Half crew works four hours, with 1½ days off per week in addition to remainder of Saturday

• Sunday: Half crew works four hours, with 1½ days off per week in addition to the remainder of Sunday

• 40-hour week for employees

• Assistants work one weekend day or alternate weekends with the other assistant.

 

Shorter weekdays, longer weekend days

Somewhat like the above schedule but working only seven hours per weekday plus one extra hour on weekend days.

• Monday through Friday: Full crew works seven hours per day

• Saturday: Half crew works five hours, with 1½ days off each week

• Sunday: Half crew works five hours, with 1½ days off per week

• 40-hour week for each employee

• Assistant superintendents each work one weekend day or alternate weekends with the other assistant

 

Full-throttle Fridays

This schedule is for when a superintendent wants to do full-weekend preparation on a Friday, which allows only a four-hour workday on Thursdays and four hours on each weekend day.

• Full crew works eight hours per day Monday through Wednesday and Friday, and four hours on Thursday

• Saturday: Half crew works four hours, with 1½ days off per week in addition to the remainder of Thursday

• Sunday: Half crew works four hours, with 1½ days off per week in addition to the remainder of Thursday

• 40-hour week for each employee

• Assistant superintendents each work one weekend day or alternate weekends with the other assistant

 

Two dedicated crews

Schedule example for two dedicated weekday crews and weekend crews:

• Monday through Friday: Half crew works 5 a.m. to noon with no lunch — equipment manager works with this crew

• Monday through Friday: Half crew works 1 to 8 p.m. with no lunch — assistant mechanic works with this crew

• Saturday: Half crew works 5 a.m. to noon

• Sunday: Half crew works 5 a.m. to noon

• Assistant superintendent supervises each weekday crew and each works one weekend day or alternates weekends with other assistant

 

When the course gets a “maintenance day”

This popular schedule is designed for when a course is closed on Monday (or another weekday) for routine maintenance practices, like Tuesdays after a Monday holiday. A half hour is blocked off for lunches on weekdays when employees work past noon.

• Monday: 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• Tuesday: 6 a.m. to noon

• Wednesday: 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Thursday: 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

• Friday: 5 a.m. to noon

• Saturday: Half crew works 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.

• Sunday: Half crew works 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.

• 46-hour week for each employee

• Each employee has 1½ days off

• Assistant superintendents each work one weekend day or alternate weekends with other assistant

 

Morning and evening

Split/flexible work schedules are also becoming popular, especially with non-stop play during peak times of the day.

• Monday through Friday: 6 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m.

• Saturday: Half crew works 6 to 10 a.m.

• Sunday: Half crew works 6 to 10 a.m.

• 44-hour week for each employee

• Assistant superintendents each work one weekend day or alternate weekends with other assistant