EAST HARTFORD, Conn.-Overtime pay has seen its day at American Eagle FCU here, and branch scheduling technology is helping employees adhere to a strict 40-hour work-week.
Overtime pay dropped by 86% last year, thanks to American Eagle's new technology and culture of "minimal overtime," said Kevin Murray, VP-branch operations and administration at the $1.5-billion AEFCU.
GMT Planet forecasting and scheduling software is suggesting that, if employees are scheduled for the right job at the right time, they can work fewer hours. GMT Planet is offered by Norcross, Ga.-based GMT, a workforce-optimization technology provider.
The software provides AEFCU with colorful visuals of the peaks and valleys in transaction volume, showing branch managers when and where employees are needed. The CU deployed GMT Planet in-house across its 17 branches in December.
"GMT Planet imports historical transaction data and produces a branch schedule based on when the transactions occur; how long it takes to complete those transactions; and how many staff members are required to take care of the forecasted transaction volume," said Murray.
'Flex' Policy Takes Getting Used To
Employees are still adjusting to the new 40-hour "flex" work-week policy, which includes Saturday shifts, said Ann-Marie Katzer, manager, branch sales, development and administration. Branch managers and staff were accustomed to "everyone being hired for 40 hours per week and replacing a body with a body without knowing if that body needed to be replaced."
"Some branch managers are more inclined to go with their gut feeling regarding staffing needs," added Murray. But guesswork and habit often meant staff would fill-in and get paid overtime when they weren't needed.
"The branch managers were accustomed to using what they know about member volumes to schedule accordingly, but GMT gives them the details"-such as a visual chart, workload fit percentages based on forecasted volumes, and the proper staff complement to do the work, Katzer said.
AEFCU is also using GMT Planet to help fashion an optimal workforce that is supported by part-time employees (PTE), not only full-time employees (FTE). Of the 115 branch employees currently scheduled through GMT Planet, 20% are part-time, a 50% increase in PTEs since the CU began using GMT.
Right Work By Right Employee at Right Time
The CU wants to make sure that all scheduled work is completed by the right employee at the right time of day, also known as "workload fit." Branch managers enter precise descriptions of daily work into GMT Planet, which has helped AEFCU improve workload fit: the CU reached a 63% workload fit in February, up from an average 60% in January.
When employees leave, American Eagle attempts to improve workload fit by not hiring for the position or hiring a PTE instead of an FTE. GMT Planet's "what-if" tool will help identify staffing needs based on transaction levels as the CU's opens four new branches in the next five years, said Murray. The simulation wizard can also convey how changes in transaction volumes or business hours will affect member service.
GMT added four CUs in 2009, bringing its CU client roster to 11, said Simon Angove, GMT's CEO. "Organizations are trying to do more with less. They want to make better use of resources by ensuring those resources are scheduled only when needed. This results in lower operational costs including reduced overtime expense."
The company said GMT Planet is best suited to credit unions with 10 branches or more; however, smaller CUs may take advantage of the company's new hosted, managed service for a monthly subscription fee, which can run from $80 to $125 per branch per month, said Angove.
