Scheduling of Work Forces Required in Continuous Operations Under Alternative Labor Policies

For a seven day a week operation in which N employees are needed on each weekday and n on each weekend day, with N at least as large as n, the effects of time-off policies on the size of the work force are studied. The simplest time-off schedule considered is one in which each employee has two days off out of the week. The most complicated is the policy under which each employee gets even other weekend off, four days off in each two weeks, and all days off in two-day blocks. After the minimum necessary work force has been determined for a policy, it is then shown how any work force meeting the requirement can actually be scheduled.