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APCO Project (40) RETAINS - Staffing Articles
From the September 2000 issue of Public Safety
Communications/ APCO BULETIN How Many Do We Really Need?
A Simple Formula for Determining Staffing
JENNIFER HAGSTROM, EDITOR
As we've progressed through this year, writing articles about hiring and recruiting, the question we keep hearing is "How many people do I need to staff my center fully?" The question has many answers; determining staffing is not a perfect science.
For example, using the following formula to determine how many bodies you need in seats to cover a given number of positions 24/7/365, will not help you determine how many positions you want to cover. How many radio operators do you need? How many calltakers? How many road units can one operator handle safely before you need to add a position? These questions are answered in part by other formulas we are tracking down for you. Knowing how many you need to staff your current positions - and being able to point to a mathematical formula that proves it when you are trying to justify staffing needs to financial decision-makers - is a good start. Below is a graphic depiction of the formula. I've used figures from my old center as an example. If you follow the instructions and arrive at the same answer, you're doing it right and will arrive at the correct number for your own center. Here are some simple directions to help clarify the formula. It reads similarly to an income-tax form: subtract B from A to get C, then add D to C to see if you win a brand new telecommunicator or if you get to "go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect" any new employees. Also, this formula may help you determine how efficiently you are working or signal you that it is time to look at other issues, like funding more positions. If, according to the formula, you are staffed properly for the number of positions you have, but your employees are burned out, making frequent mistakes or working shift after shift without a free minute to catch their breath, maybe you are understaffed in terms of position and need more calltakers or radio operators. Instructions A: Number of days to staff per year. For most centers, the answer will be 365, unless a center turns its functions over to another center on weekends and holidays. B: Number of hours to staff per shift. This answer will usually be eight or 12; the number of hours in a normal shift. C: This is A multiplied by B, which is the number of hours one position is in operation each shift each year. In other words, to staff teletype between 3 - 11 p.m. every day requires 2920 manhours of work. Another 2920 is required for the 11 p.m. - 7 a.m. shift, and another 2920 for 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. D: Same as A. E: Equal to B minus the total allotted number of breaks (two 15s and a 30, for example, or one hour). F: D multiplied by E, or the actual number of hours one employee would work one position per year, assuming that employee worked all 365 days. (Bear with us here.) G: Same as C. H: Same as F. I: C divided by F. This should result in a fraction of some kind that will tell you how much more than one employee you need to staff a position, given that breaks must be covered, etc. J: Total positions you have. For example, in our center we had five radio positions, three calltakers (minimum) and one supervisor, or nine positions total. L: J multiplied by K, or the number of positions you need to cover multiplied by the true number of people it takes to cover it for eight hours every day for a year. M: 52 weeks times the number of hours per week (40) one employee is scheduled to work (comes to 2080). From this, subtract the average amount of leave your employees take, of all kinds - the average sick leave plus the average vacation plus the average comp time, etc., in hours, not counting regular days off. This is the ratio that expresses how much actual work you get from the average employee. N: This number says that if you need nine employees to staff one shift for eight hours a day, you actually need 14 people assigned to that shift to ensure all eight hours are covered every day of the year. O: N times the number of shifts you have each day: three for 8-hour or two for 12-hour etc. P: The actual number of employees you require per shift times the number of shifts you have to staff. This is how many employees you need to be fully staffed, assuming you are staffing the correct number of positions for your workload. Note: Jennifer Hagstrom worked for 12 years in a comm center, 11 on the floor and one in management, where this staffing formula was developed. While this formula worked at her old center, APCO International is not stating that the same formula will work for all comm centers, but we would encourage you to try it and let us know your findings - pro or con. Jennifer left APCO's full-time employ in May 2002, but continues to write for APCO's magazine as a contributing editor.
Comm Center Staffing Formula | A | 365 | Number of days to staff position per year | | B | 8 | Number of hours to staff position per shift | | C | 2920 | Number of hours re q u i red to staff the position for the time period- for one shift. | | D | 365 | Number of days to staff the position | | E | 7 | Number of hours one employee is actually working at the position per day. (Eight hours minus lunch/breaks) | | F | 2555 | Total hours per period employees staff the position | | G | 2920 | Answer of C | | H | 2555 | Answer of F | | I | 1.1428 | Answer of C divided by F (Actual number of employees required to staff one position for the period.) | | J | 1.1428 | Answer of I | | K | 9 | Number of positions to staff | | L | 10.2852 | Total of J times K | | M | 1.3197 | Number of hours employee is scheduled to work in one year, divided by the average number of hours employee actually works. 2080 minus all leaves taken averaged out for your department/section. 2080 divided by 1576 = 1.3197 | | N | 13.5733 = 14 | L times M = Total number of employees required to staff positions for one shift per day | | O | 3 | Number of shifts | | P | 42 | N times O = Total number of employees required to staff nine positions for three shifts, 365 days a year. |
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