
“Using a paper calendar to create schedules costs more than a quarter of our managers’ time.”
Before Humanity, managers created staff rosters using pen and paper and then transferred that data into Google Calendar. It was inefficient, considering the amount of time required to not only create schedules, but also to maintain them, manage shift trade requests, and make corrections and iterations necessary each week. Managers spent nearly a quarter of their work weeks dealing with nothing but scheduling. Understaffing was also a huge issue, one that an emergency medical institution cannot afford to have.
Moreover, the shift creation and maintenance process at this service is more complex than most businesses, considering that they not only have two locations, but also a mix of professional and volunteer employees who all have different skill sets and availability. Without up-to-date information on employees, it was very challenging for Watertown Ambulance Service to offer citizens reliable aid around the clock.