Shops Add Evening and Overnight Shifts to Keep Up With Demand

SGIA Surveys & Statistics, part of the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association, has conducted its biennial “Personnel Practices”? survey, which investigates the ways specialty-imaging professionals handle human-resource issues. The topics range from health benefits to schedule, and the resultant report is designed to give members a picture of the marketplace.

Among the results, gathered from more than 250 specialty imagers:

“? Work “?round the clock: Shops are keeping up with demand by adding evening and overnight (third) shifts. One third of shops (33%) have added an evening shift, while another 12% depend on third shifts to take care of business.

“? Counting the hours: The majority of employers (70 percent) base overtime pay on total hours worked in a week, rather than calculating it based on the day.

“? Vacation time: Half the time, vacation leave is awarded from the beginning. First-year employees receive leave 54 percent of the time. More than half of their employers provide 5 days. On the other end of the spectrum, 34 percent of businesses allow up to 15 days for fifth-year employees.

“? Disability insurance: Most firms offer some type of disability insurance–70 percent of respondents said their firms offer long-term disability insurance, and 75 percent said they offer short-term disability insurance.

“? Prescription assistance: Co-pays are the most popular type of prescription-drug coverage (52 percent of respondents), and among them, the majority of co-pays run between $10 and $20.

“? Retirement options: 40% of employers allow employees to determine the age at which they will retire. Another 27% of firms allow employees to exit the firm at “retirement age,”? regardless of the length of their tenure with the business (“retirement age”? ranged between ages 50 and 65, depending upon the country).

“The most competitive companies stay on track with their personnel policies and benefits,” says Alaina Harris, SGIA business associate. “If you want to be the firm that attracts the best employees, get a handle on data such as paid time off, overtime pay, scheduling and alternative healthcare offerings. Your people make all the difference in how competitive your firm is.”

SGIA

www.sgia.org