Build shifts around dispatch cut-offs
Start from the times that cannot move: the linehaul truck to the regional sort hub, the first delivery wave, the courier pickup. Outbound shifts end just after the last truck leaves; inbound shifts start when vendor trucks arrive. A warehouse might run Morning from 6 am to 2 pm for inbound and returns, Evening from 2 pm to 10 pm for outbound, and add Night from 10 pm to 6 am for the sale. Delivery hubs run a day shift of around 7 am to 4 pm, with a second wave for evening slots. ZeniaHR's default Morning, Evening and Night shifts already follow this pattern and can be edited per site.
Normal weeks and sale weeks
Keep two roster plans per site. In normal weeks, most associates alternate between Morning and Evening with a fixed pattern of weekly offs. For the sale, move the site to three shifts using bulk assignment, which covers up to 92 days in one step, and bring peak hires into their own rotation. When the peak ends, bulk-assign everyone back. Rotation templates can hold a cycle of up to 62 days, long enough for a sale-season pattern that staggers weekly offs so each associate still gets a weekly rest day.
Worked example: staffing the packing line for a sale
A warehouse forecasts 36,000 orders a day in sale week against 12,000 normally. If a packer packs 50 orders an hour and works 7.5 productive hours a shift, one packer-shift handles 375 orders. Sale week then needs 36,000 divided by 375, which is 96 packer-shifts a day, or 32 packers on each of three shifts. A normal day needs 12,000 divided by 375, which is 32 packer-shifts, or 16 packers on each of two shifts. The difference, plus weekly offs and absence, is the number of peak packers to hire and roster.
Weekly offs, swaps and night work
Warehouses running seven days need personal weekly offs, staggered so every shift keeps enough hands each day. Associates can swap a shift or a weekly off with a colleague through Shift Swaps; the colleague accepts, then the shift supervisor and HR approve, and the roster updates once the last approval is given. For the sale-week Night shift, women may work nights with their consent and under the safety conditions set by the government, so record consent and plan safe transport before rostering. Check the day grid for each shift's headcount before publishing.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Set up Morning, Evening and Night shifts for each warehouse, each with its own timing, break and grace, flagging Night as a night shift, plus a day shift for hubs.
- Keep a two-shift rotation template for normal weeks and a three-shift template for sale weeks.
- Bulk-assign the sale template to each site for the peak period, then bulk-assign the normal template afterwards.
- Give associates personal weekly offs, staggered so each shift keeps its headcount every day.
- Store night shift consent for women associates before rostering them on the sale-week Night shift.
Read more about shifts and rosters in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
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What shifts do e-commerce warehouses run?
Commonly a morning and an evening shift in normal weeks, such as 6 am to 2 pm and 2 pm to 10 pm, with a night shift added during sales to meet dispatch cut-offs. Delivery hubs usually run a morning start for the first delivery wave. Exact timings depend on truck departures and the delivery slots offered to customers.
How do warehouses plan staff for a festive sale?
They convert the order forecast into shifts: orders per day divided by what one person handles per shift gives the shifts needed per role, and weekly offs and absence are added on top. The gap from normal staffing is filled by peak hires and overtime. In ZeniaHR, the sale roster is assigned in bulk for the peak period and reversed afterwards.
Can warehouse employees swap shifts?
Yes, if your policy allows it. In ZeniaHR, an associate asks a colleague to swap a shift or a weekly off, on the same day or across two dates. The colleague accepts, the supervisor and HR approve, and only then does the roster change, so the floor plan always matches who is actually coming in.