Auto hire is an innovative system designed to streamline the job assignment process, benefiting all parties involved.
Here's a closer look at how auto hire works and its benefits.
The Mechanics of Auto Hire
The auto hire feature operates by waiting a predefined amount of time before making any decisions. This period serves an important purpose: it allows as many candidates as possible the chance to apply for available shifts. By doing so, the system ensures a diverse pool of candidates, which increases the likelihood of finding the best match for each shift.
The First Come First Serve (FCFS) method is not used on the platform for the reasons outlined below:
Fairness: FCFS favors lower-rated and newer workers who can respond quickly, since they are likely not currently engaged in other jobs. This method prioritizes ability to see an opportunity quickly over experience, potentially overlooking the value that more tenured workers can bring to the job.
Match Quality: FCFS overlooks skills and suitability, that may result in suboptimal job assignments.
Adaptability: FCFS is too static for dynamic environments where worker availability changes frequently.
Morale: Consistently favoring first responders can demoralize other workers, particularly your best, most actively engaged workers who are not able to apply as quickly.
To address these issues, the platform uses sophisticated algorithms that consider skills, performance, ratings, and availability, ensuring better job matches and a more balanced assignment process.
Scenario: You are staffing a business with the following needs:
Shifts to Fill for the Week (Monday - Friday):
-Shift A (morning): 8 AM - 12 PM
-Shift B (afternoon):12 PM - 4 PM
-Shift C (evening): 4 PM - 8 PM
Employees and Preferences:
-Alice: Can only work Shift A (morning) due to childcare.
-Bob: Flexible, can work any shift.
-Carol: Prefers Shift C (evening) but can work Shift B (afternoon) if needed.
First-Come-First-Serve (FCFS) Approach:
Day 1: Bob picks Shift A every day.
Day 2:Carol picks Shift C every day.
Day 3: Alice can only work Shift A, but it's already taken by Bob.
Result:
- Shift A (morning): Bob (covered)
- Shift B (afternoon): Open (uncovered)
- Shift C (evening): Carol (covered)
- Alice: Unable to work any shifts, leading to understaffing and dissatisfaction.
Optimized Matching Approach:
1.Collect preferences and constraints from all employees.
2. Preferences Submitted:
- Alice: Shift A
- Bob: Any shift
- Carol: Shift C, but can work Shift B
3. Schedule Creation:
- Shift A (morning): Alice (3 days), Bob (2 days)
- Shift B (afternoon): Bob (3 days), Carol (2 days)
- Shift C (evening): Carol (3 days), Bob (2 days)
Result:
- Shift A (morning): Alice covers 3 days, Bob covers 2 days.
- Shift B (afternoon): Bob covers 3 days, Carol covers 2 days.
- Shift C (evening): Carol covers 3 days, Bob covers 2 days.
Key Takeaway:
- Balance: Ensures Alice can work mornings.
- Flexibility: Uses Bob's flexibility to fill gaps.
- Preferences: Allows Carol to work preferred shifts while ensuring coverage.
Considerations of Auto Hire
Availability Conflicts: The system checks if the applicant has any availability conflicts. For example, if a person has blocked availability for certain times/ dates or If an applicant is already scheduled to work another shift on the same date; these conflicts are identified and taken into account.
Newness to the Platform: Auto hire algorithms are designed to be inclusive, giving new users a fair chance to secure shifts. This ensures that the platform remains dynamic and accessible to newcomers, fostering a balanced workforce.
Encouraging Broader Applications
To enhance the effectiveness of the auto-hire feature, candidates are encouraged to apply for multiple shifts. This approach increases system liquidity by ensuring a larger pool of candidates for each shift. Consequently, candidates applying to multiple shifts have a higher chance of being selected for at least one, thus helping ensure all shifts are filled efficiently.
The Role of the Internal Team
While auto hire is largely autonomous, the internal team plays a crucial role in optimizing its effectiveness. The internal team has the ability to influence the algorithm by ranking certain candidates higher. This can be particularly useful in ensuring that new or underrepresented workers have a better chance of being assigned shifts.
Conclusion
Auto hire offers a streamlined and fair approach to shift assignments. By considering availability, current commitments, and the need to integrate new workers, the system ensures that the right people are placed in the right roles. Encouraging candidates to apply for multiple shifts and leveraging the support of the internal team further enhances the system's efficiency and inclusivity. As a result, auto hire not only improves operational efficiency but also fosters a dynamic and balanced workforce.