Worker Placement #2

As promised, here are some pictures of my "Worker Placement" scheduling game.


This isn't overwhelming is it?


Overall there were spots for 201 workers on 7 pages of 8 1/2" X 11" paper taped to the office table. I wish I could have gotten some action shots of people "playing" (picking their poison), but lack of foresight has prevented this.


Here is a close-up of one piece of paper. Each paper contained 3-4 days worth of scheduling. Half of the challenge for the worker placement game was in the design of the pages. I really wanted to get all four tasks for each set of days on the same page without making it too complicated. Before adopting this design I thought about using Starburts instead of Skittles because I was concerned about Skittles rolling around, but I couldn't figure out a design that would accommodate the awkward square shape of Starbursts (I actually compromised and used Starburst Jellybeans in addition to Skittles).



I consider the worker placement scheduling game a success. I managed to get 201 shifts scheduled in under three hours and I didn't have to force anybody to take any shifts (since they are getting paid salary instead of hourly, it can be difficult to get them to work hourly shifts). Everyone got to pick their own hours AND their own type of tasks. From that standpoint I am very pleased.

There were some things I would change for the future though. First, and most importantly, the time could be reduced. I had each person select two shifts at a time. While for most, selection was fast and easy, some people took close to ten minutes to decide where to put two workers. With 201 shifts total, the game dragged on. Next time I think that by having players select four shifts at a time instead of two that the game would be shortened.

Second, the incredible and unique visual spectacle of 201 Skittles and jellybeans on the table in geometric order overwhelmed some of the workers. Instead of being pleased that they only had 18 shifts to work over the course of a month and that they had the opportunity to pick every one of their shifts, they instead saw a jam-packed month of hard work (and no overtime pay). I have had to combat feelings of despair and negativity. I don't have any ideas yet about how to avoid this side-effect, but it is also possible that the negative attitudes were brought to the table before the game began, which means that a fresh crop of workers could yield different results.

Lastly, since this was my first time scheduling these types of tasks I had no ideas evaluating the tasks relative to each other. In the game a four hour desk shift and a 45 minute bed-stripping session were each one selection, which means that somebody who picked mostly desk shifts would be working predominately more hours than somebody who picked mostly bed-stripping. I don't see the time difference as a very big problem, as long as the relative difficulty of each task is the same, which I am sure is not the case. Next time I would make the more difficult shifts allow the player to place an extra worker--in essence reducing the amount of shifts they would have altogether--so that there would be more incentive to pick harder shifts and relative fairness would increase.

Still, I am pleased. The worker placement mechanic was helpful in achieving my scheduling goals, and I think that worker placement could be expanded to improve other aspects of management as well.