{"id":8424,"date":"2025-12-11T12:04:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T18:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/?p=8424"},"modified":"2025-12-11T10:11:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T16:11:43","slug":"flexibility-first-how-workforce-scheduling-is-reshaping-distribution-and-logistics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/11\/flexibility-first-how-workforce-scheduling-is-reshaping-distribution-and-logistics\/","title":{"rendered":"Flexibility First: How Workforce Scheduling is Reshaping Distribution and Logistics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"htmlBody article_div\">\n<figure class=\"graphic\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/060.png\" alt=\"christy dula\" width=\"120\" height=\"119\" \/>BY <span class=\"author-name\">CHRISTY DULA<\/span>, CHIEF EXPERIENCE AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI<\/figure>\n<p><strong><span class=\"dropCap\">A<\/span>S SUPPLY CHAINS<\/strong> face ongoing labor shortages and demand volatility, distribution centers and warehouses are rethinking how they schedule workforces. The traditional model of fixed, eight\u2011hour shifts across two or three blocks is giving way to more adaptive approaches. Flexible scheduling\u2014supported by digital workforce platforms\u2014is emerging as a way to align labor capacity with fluctuating demand, while also giving employees greater control over when and how they work.<\/p>\n<h4 tabindex=\"0\">THE NEW DEMAND FOR FLEXIBILITY<\/h4>\n<p>The labor model of fixed, eight\u2011hour shifts no longer aligns with the realities of today\u2019s workforce, said Matt Laurinas, Chief Customer Officer for Bluecrew by EmployBridge, a workforce\u2011as\u2011a\u2011service platform. &#8220;Employees want to work differently, and companies need to adjust to keep pace,&#8221; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>Workers today\u2014especially younger generations and those balancing multiple commitments\u2014expect options. For some, that means shorter blocks of hours instead of a full\u2011day shift. For others, it\u2019s the ability to pick up extra work on demand. &#8220;We\u2019ve seen that giving people the chance to choose when and how much they work improves engagement and retention dramatically,&#8221; Laurinas said.<\/p>\n<p>Will Eadie, chief strategy officer at WorkJam\u2014an app for digital frontline workforce scheduling\u2014agreed. &#8220;Employees need to be able to trade their shifts or call off easily,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Managers need to be able to easily add six people to a shift because they have higher volume.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This kind of flexibility appeals not just to workers, but also to their employers. By opening up schedules, distribution centers can quickly flex labor capacity to match demand swings without relying on costly staffing agencies.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/061.jpg\" alt=\"about ping pong tables in the break room\" \/>\n<figcaption><\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<h4 tabindex=\"0\">&#8220;GIGAFYING&#8221; THE WAREHOUSE FLOOR<\/h4>\n<p>A core trend is what Eadie called &#8220;gigafying&#8221; the internal labor market. In the past, companies had to use third\u2011party staffing agencies to cover demand spikes\u2014often paying premiums for workers unfamiliar with the environment.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Now, companies can offer work to employees they already employ and who have already been trained,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They broadcast an open shift via an app and fill it with people who know their culture, safety rules and systems.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The approach also enables companies to keep former employees in their networks, added Eadie. &#8220;If you previously worked here\u2014as long as you agree to participate in training every quarter or attest that you want to still be seeing the schedule\u2014then an employer can bring you in. Think about the training cost that saves as companies start building an internal network of gig workers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Laurinas has seen the same trend. &#8220;Flexible scheduling allows employers to treat labor like a scalable resource, without degrading the worker experience. If anything, it\u2019s making warehousing jobs more attractive,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0126_volume_14__issue_1\/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=2099493&amp;app=false#articleId2099493\"><em>Click here to read the full article.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ISTOCK.COM\/\">ISTOCK.COM<\/a>\/SANKAI<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BY CHRISTY DULA, CHIEF EXPERIENCE AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI AS SUPPLY CHAINS face ongoing labor shortages and demand volatility, distribution centers and warehouses are rethinking how they schedule workforces. The traditional model of fixed, eight\u2011hour shifts across two or three blocks is giving way to more adaptive approaches. Flexible scheduling\u2014supported by digital workforce platforms\u2014is &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":8426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5,12],"tags":[4091,442,1902,1907,3971,466,936],"class_list":["post-8424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-article","category-features","category-human-resources","tag-flexible-scheduling","tag-mhi-solutions","tag-mhi-solutions-magazine","tag-mhisolutionsmag","tag-scheduling","tag-supply-chain","tag-workforce"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Flexibility First: How Workforce Scheduling is Reshaping Distribution and Logistics - MHI Solutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0126_volume_14__issue_1\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4309266\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Flexibility First: How Workforce Scheduling is Reshaping Distribution and Logistics - MHI Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BY CHRISTY DULA, CHIEF EXPERIENCE AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI AS SUPPLY CHAINS face ongoing labor shortages and demand volatility, distribution centers and warehouses are rethinking how they schedule workforces. 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