Animal Welfare Professionals

Hi Vaughn,

One of my clients that I'm a consulting with asked me to do exactly what you're doing. I went on a search for an organization that had a staffing model to reference and use as a model or guide. I reached out to about a dozen folks, most of whom are shelter consultants who work with dozens of animal welfare organizations of all sizes. The verdict, not much luck. 

In our field, we often experience chronic staff turnover and burnout, which affects our operations and our ongoing ability to sustainably save lives.

I think this all comes down to reasonable workloads. All of that to say, we need new and better models, so we stop duplicating the same systems that are producing the turnover, burnout, and employee disengagement. 

What my client and I are currently focusing on involves actively listening to the staff, spending quality time with them, and conducting a detailed time-study.

Here's what that looks like:

1. Identify Key Tasks: First, list out all the key tasks that your shelter needs to operate efficiently. This should include both primary tasks related to your main function or service and secondary tasks such as administrative duties. Be as detailed as possible.

2. Quantify Task Time: Once you've identified the key tasks, calculate how long it takes to complete each one. This will help you determine how much staff time each task requires. This step involves observing employees, asking them directly for their input (they are often the experts of their job), or using time-tracking software.

3. Ask Current Staff: It's crucial to involve your existing employees in this process. Ask them about their workload, what they believe could be done more efficiently, and whether they feel overworked or underutilized. Their insights can reveal if current tasks can be streamlined or if new roles are needed. They can also provide feedback on how many people are needed to perform certain tasks.

4. Calculate Required Hours: Based on the estimated time to complete tasks and the feedback from current staff, calculate the total hours required in a typical workweek. Include both peak and off-peak times.

5. Account for Unforeseen Factors: Always factor in time for unforeseen tasks, like troubleshooting, meetings, training, etc. A good rule of thumb is to add 15-20% extra time to your initial calculation. This is ensure your staffing model is realistic and not a "best care scenario" that requires all positions to be filled, everyone to be fully trained, and no unforeseen emergencies. 

6. Determine Staffing Levels: Divide the total number of hours by the number of hours one full-time employee can work in a week. The result is the number of full-time employees needed. If the result is a fraction, consider hiring part-time employees or using flexible scheduling.

7. Compare with Current Staffing: Compare your calculated staffing levels with your current staffing. This will show you if you are understaffed, overstaffed, or correctly staffed.

8. Adjust and Monitor: Finally, make adjustments as necessary based on your findings. After changes are made, monitor productivity and employee satisfaction to ensure that the new staffing levels are effective.

I hope this helps! 

------------------------------
José Ocaño
Founder and CEO
Hatching
------------------------------

Hi Vaughn,

One of my clients that I'm a consulting with asked me to do exactly what you're doing. I went on a search for an organization that had a staffing model to reference and use as a model or guide. I reached out to about a dozen folks, most of whom are shelter consultants who work with dozens of animal welfare organizations of all sizes. The verdict, not much luck. 

In our field, we often experience chronic staff turnover and burnout, which affects our operations and our ongoing ability to sustainably save lives.

I think this all comes down to reasonable workloads. All of that to say, we need new and better models, so we stop duplicating the same systems that are producing the turnover, burnout, and employee disengagement. 

What my client and I are currently focusing on involves actively listening to the staff, spending quality time with them, and conducting a detailed time-study.

Here's what that looks like:

1. Identify Key Tasks: First, list out all the key tasks that your shelter needs to operate efficiently. This should include both primary tasks related to your main function or service and secondary tasks such as administrative duties. Be as detailed as possible.

2. Quantify Task Time: Once you've identified the key tasks, calculate how long it takes to complete each one. This will help you determine how much staff time each task requires. This step involves observing employees, asking them directly for their input (they are often the experts of their job), or using time-tracking software.

3. Ask Current Staff: It's crucial to involve your existing employees in this process. Ask them about their workload, what they believe could be done more efficiently, and whether they feel overworked or underutilized. Their insights can reveal if current tasks can be streamlined or if new roles are needed. They can also provide feedback on how many people are needed to perform certain tasks.

4. Calculate Required Hours: Based on the estimated time to complete tasks and the feedback from current staff, calculate the total hours required in a typical workweek. Include both peak and off-peak times.

5. Account for Unforeseen Factors: Always factor in time for unforeseen tasks, like troubleshooting, meetings, training, etc. A good rule of thumb is to add 15-20% extra time to your initial calculation. This is ensure your staffing model is realistic and not a "best care scenario" that requires all positions to be filled, everyone to be fully trained, and no unforeseen emergencies. 

6. Determine Staffing Levels: Divide the total number of hours by the number of hours one full-time employee can work in a week. The result is the number of full-time employees needed. If the result is a fraction, consider hiring part-time employees or using flexible scheduling.

7. Compare with Current Staffing: Compare your calculated staffing levels with your current staffing. This will show you if you are understaffed, overstaffed, or correctly staffed.

8. Adjust and Monitor: Finally, make adjustments as necessary based on your findings. After changes are made, monitor productivity and employee satisfaction to ensure that the new staffing levels are effective.

I hope this helps! 

------------------------------
José Ocaño
Founder and CEO
Hatching
------------------------------