The impact of laws and regulations on workforce planning: Here's how to stay compliant

Making staff schedules may seem simple: you make sure there are enough employees to keep the work flowing. But in practice, there is much more to this. Laws and regulations in particular play a major role and can present challenges. Think of labor laws, collective bargaining agreements and rules around overtime and rest time.

At R&R WFM, we see in practice that this often plays out in sectors such as supermarkets, retail, retail and gas stations, where rosters often need to be variable and flexible. In these sectors, we have extensive experience in supporting companies in complying with laws and regulations using our software.

For example, consider a supermarket manager who wants an employee to work extra during a busy weekend. Can this be done just like that, or are there restrictions on the number of hours worked? Or a gas station that employs many young employees; how do you ensure that they do not get shifts that violate the Working Hours Act (ATW)? These are just some of the situations where laws and regulations have a major impact on staff scheduling.

What do laws and regulations imply for workforce planning?

Every company must comply with laws and regulations governing working hours, rest periods and forms of contract. This prevents exploitation and ensures that employees get adequate rest.

Important legislation to consider:

• Working Hours Act (ATW): Rules on maximum working hours, minimum rest periods and night shifts.
• Workforce Balance Act (WAB): Provides, among other things, that on-call workers must be paid a minimum of 3 hours.
• Collective bargaining agreements: Sector-dependent rules on, for example, overtime, allowances and minimum rest periods.

It is impossible to name every specific rule here, as they vary by sector and collective bargaining agreement. Do you want to make sure you comply with all legislation within your sector? Then you can find more information at:

• Central government - Working Hours Act
• UWV - WAB checklist
• Your industry's collective bargaining page

Challenges in staying compliant

Complying with these laws is not always easy, especially in industries with flexible schedules. Some common challenges:

• Young employees: Can a 15-year-old employee work a short shift, or does this clash with the WAB?
• Overtime and Rest Hours: How to prevent violations when employees want to work extra shifts?
• Complexity of collective bargaining agreements: Each sector has different rules, and these are updated regularly.

How do you stay compliant and make workforce planning easier?

To avoid running into compliance problems as an organization, there are a number of steps you can take:

• Make laws and regulations an integral part of your planning process: Make sure planners and managers are aware of key regulations.
• Use software that automatically checks for violations: This prevents human error.
• Keep track of collective bargaining changes and adjust your schedule accordingly: Do regulations change? Then make sure your staff scheduling moves with them.
• Work with warning and blocking systems: This prevents accidentally scheduling a shift that violates the law.

With R&R WFM, this process becomes significantly easier. Our software performs automatic ATW checks based on the applicable collective bargaining agreement within your sector. This means that you:

• Immediately receive a warning if an employee is assigned too long a shift or has too little rest.
• ATW violations can be blocked: If a service does not comply, it simply cannot be stored. 
• Have flexible settings: You can decide whether violations are warning only or full blocking.

Moreover, R&R takes into account complex situations, such as the conflict between the ATW and the WAB for 15-year-olds. By making this flexibly adjustable, organizations can decide which rule is more important.

Additional ATW rules and insights with R&R

In addition to the standard ATW rules, R&R has added additional functionality to ensure that companies remain fully compliant:

• Alert underage employees without a school schedule: This way you can be sure their schedule is correct.
• Notification when scheduling 13- and 14-year-olds on weekdays: This prevents them from working at times when they are not legally allowed to.

Want to know more? Then read our Feb. 26, 2024 R&R Product Update and the June 4, 2024 update on ATW rules and settings in R&R.

Conclusion

Laws and regulations play a crucial role in workforce planning, especially in industries where flexible schedules and varying working hours are the norm. Compliance with the ATW, WAB and collective bargaining agreements can be a challenge, but with the right tools, it becomes a lot easier. R&R WFM helps you stay compliant with automatic alerts and blocking so you never accidentally break the law.

Always want to stay up to date with the latest product updates, including changes in ATW regulations? Then sign up for our R&R Product Updates! Are you interested in what R&R can do for your organization? Then contact our sales department and find out how we can take your workforce management to the next level!

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About the author Becca Ligthart

Becca Ligthart is a passionate marketing and communications professional who focuses on providing practical tips and fresh insights for the effective use of WFM in companies, with a strong focus on forward-thinking business operations.