Finding cover
Bank, part-time, overtime, swaps, agency, and running the day short on purpose.
The Order to Try Things In
There are seven ways to cover a shift and they differ by a factor of six in cost. Fixing the order in advance is the whole of it.
Part-Time Staff and Extra Hours
The cheapest and fastest cover in most operations is a part-time employee who would like more hours, and almost nobody has asked them which ones.
Overtime, and What It Costs Next Month
Overtime is the default cover in most operations because it is the easiest to arrange. Its price is paid partly in cash now and partly in absence later.
Swaps
Two people exchange days and the shift is covered at no cost. It is the best outcome available and the one most operations either forbid or fail to record.
Keeping a Bank That Answers
A pool of people who work occasional shifts is the difference between a forty-minute morning and an agency booking. Most banks exist on paper and not on the phone.
Agency, the Default Last Resort
Agency works, which is the problem. It is the only route with a number that is always answered, and that reliability turns it into a standing bill.
Borrowing From Next Door
Moving somebody from another team costs nothing in cash and a great deal in relationship. It works when it is reciprocal.
Doing the Shift Yourself
The manager steps in. It is fast, free and invisible, and it is the single most reliable way to conceal an understaffed operation from the people who could fix it.