📘 Overview of the CDT Shift‑Management Series
This collection of books provides managers, planners, and operational leaders with clear, practical guidance on running efficient, fair, and resilient shift operations. Each title tackles a specific challenge—from holiday management to flexible working to staffing calculations—using worked examples, real-world scenarios, and proven mathematical approaches.
📗 How to Manage Your Shift Patterns: Holidays and Absences (2008)
An essential reference for anyone responsible for running a shift pattern. This book was the first of its kind to analyse the real, day‑to‑day challenges faced by shift managers and offer practical, workable solutions.
Key themes
- How to plan holidays in advance so they don’t disrupt operations
- Techniques for managing the holidays of 100+ employees in under 30 minutes a day
- Worked examples, summary pages, and ready‑to‑use shift patterns
- Clear explanations of how to implement holiday‑management systems in any organisation
Who it’s for
Managers who want to run a smooth, predictable shift pattern without last‑minute holiday crises, backlogs of work, or staffing shortages.
Managers who want to run a smooth, predictable shift pattern without last‑minute holiday crises, backlogs of work, or staffing shortages.
📙 Flexible Shift Working: A New Approach Using Banked Hours (2023)
A modern guide to creating flexible working arrangements that balance employee wellbeing with operational efficiency. This book takes you from concept to implementation, showing how Banked Hours and other flexible models can transform your workforce.
Key themes
- How to design flexible working that benefits both employees and the organisation
- Ensuring the right people, with the right skills, are available at the right time
- Step‑by‑step guidance on introducing Banked Hours
- How to communicate and “sell” the concept to employees and managers
- Fairness, transparency, and maintaining trust during change
Who it’s for
Organisations exploring flexible working, managers seeking better work/life balance for staff, and leaders wanting to improve efficiency without compromising wellbeing.
Organisations exploring flexible working, managers seeking better work/life balance for staff, and leaders wanting to improve efficiency without compromising wellbeing.
📒 Kindle Series: Practical Guides for Everyday Management Challenges
Holiday Management
A concise, highly practical guide for managers who struggle with holiday bottlenecks, end‑of‑year backlogs, and the stress of trying to fit everyone’s leave into a single calendar year.
What it covers
- How to calculate your holiday resource
- Techniques to spread holidays evenly across the year
- How to avoid last‑minute holiday rushes
- Using flexi‑time and annualised hours to match workload
- How to run meetings and operations without constant absences
Ideal for
Office‑hours teams, shift managers, and anyone who wants a simple, effective approach to holiday planning.
Office‑hours teams, shift managers, and anyone who wants a simple, effective approach to holiday planning.
Calculating How Many Staff You Need
A foundational guide for determining the correct staffing levels for any shift pattern. This book teaches the core calculations that underpin every successful operation.
What it covers
- How to calculate staffing requirements by skill set
- Understanding the relationship between workload, coverage, and staffing numbers
- Why accurate staffing calculations are the backbone of every shift pattern decision
Ideal for
Managers designing new shift patterns, reviewing existing ones, or trying to solve persistent understaffing or overstaffing issues.
Managers designing new shift patterns, reviewing existing ones, or trying to solve persistent understaffing or overstaffing issues.
