Split Shifts: What Are They and Should You Be Using Them?

If you’re a restaurant manager, you know it can be tough to schedule your employees around service times and rush periods. Especially if they’re accustomed to working a straight eight- or ten-hour shift. Thankfully, there is a solution: the split shift.

What is a split shift? What are the advantages for employees and managers? And is a split shift right for your business? In this article, the experts at Sling will answer those questions and show you how the right tool can make scheduling a split shift quick and easy.

Key takeaways

1. Split shifts divide the workday into two or more parts separated by a break of at least two hours to help cover busy service peaks.
2. Managers must initiate the split shift and record it on the master schedule to make it official and legal.
3. Employees benefit from a better work-life balance and the opportunity to handle family needs or appointments during the midday break.
4. Businesses can reduce labor costs by scheduling staff when customer demand is at its highest.
5. Check local labor laws for split shift premiums, which are extra payments required in some states for employees who work two different shifts during the day.

Table of contents

• What is a split shift?
• Who initiates a split shift?
• Advantages for employees
• Advantages for managers
• Is a split shift right for your business?
• Split shift and the busy restaurant
• Tips for working with split shifts

What is a split shift?

A split shift is a type of work schedule in which you divide an employee’s workday into two or more parts.

It’s important to understand that the regular one-hour lunch break associated with a 9-to-5 schedule doesn’t count toward a split shift. A typical split shift is separated by two or more hours.

In a restaurant setting, for example, you might schedule a server from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (to cover the lunch rush) and again from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (to cover the dinner service). Even though the employee’s workday spanned a 12-hour period, they only worked eight hours with a four-hour break in-between.

Who initiates a split shift?

As with all scheduling practices, only you, the manager, are allowed to call two separate work periods a split shift. An employee may leave for emergency or personal reasons (with your permission, of course) and then return to finish work, but that is not a split shift.

The split shift must be initiated by you and recorded as such on the master schedule. And, in many jurisdictions, the employee must actually leave the premises during the time between shifts to make the split valid.

Advantages for employees

1) Easy child and family care

If an employee needs to take care of an ailing family member or pick up a young child from school, a split shift makes that possible without cutting into their full-time hours.

This means the employee doesn’t have to worry about family matters while on the job. That leads to improved employee engagement and teamwork.

2) Increased hours without affecting existing shifts

With a split shift, you can offer willing employees the option to increase their work hours without having an impact on the hours of other employees. This is ideal for part-time employees who want to work more without taking away from full-time employees.

The split shift allows you to add additional time around the existing schedule without making major changes to your established structure.

3) Work-life balance

In some cases, a split shift may make it easier for certain employees to enjoy a better work-life balance. The break between shifts can give them the time to pursue hobbies, schedule appointments, or spend time with family and friends.

That said, not everyone will thrive with a split shift schedule. Some employees need to work a straight block of time and then be finished for the day in order to be successful during the rest of their waking hours.

4) Earning potential

A split shift schedule may give employees an opportunity to work more hours during the week and, thereby, increase their earning potential. This is especially true if you also choose to offer split shift premium pay.

Minimum wage, part-time, and other types of employees may jump at the chance to work a split shift if it means they can earn more when compared to their regularly scheduled shifts.

The success of this type of work day depends, in large part, on what your team members need from their job and what the business needs from them. Be sure to ask your employees whether a split shift would work for them before making a unilateral decision for the business.

5) Experience in different parts of the business

Depending on the type of business, a split shift may provide the opportunity to gain experience in other parts of the operation.

For example, the manager of a pizza restaurant may organize the schedule so that one employee works prep during the first shift and then works delivery during the second shift. In a single-shift set-up, that employee may have only worked prep or only delivery.

Having different responsibilities on different shifts gives both them and you more flexibility because your team members will have knowledge of how to work in two (or more) different positions.

6) Flexible hours

Keep in mind that you don’t have to structure your split shifts along the traditional work hour lines. You can set up your shifts to start and end at any times that work for your team and your business.

Doing so can provide your employees with the flexibility they need to make other parts of their day flow better.

For example, you may choose to have the first block of time start at 9:00 a.m. and run until 1:00 p.m. so that an employee can get their kids off to school before the work day starts.

Then, you may choose to have the second block of time start at 5:00 p.m. and run until 9:00 p.m. so that the employee can get their kids home from school before the end of the work day.

7) Convenience

As we’ve touched on throughout this article so far, implementing a split shift in your schedule structure can make things more convenient for your team members.

Whether it’s starting and ending their job at different times, the flexibility to schedule appointments in the middle of the day, or the freedom to take care of their families, a split in the middle of their shift may help your employees give 100% while they’re at work.

Advantages for managers

1) Cost control

A split shift is one of the best ways to keep expenses low and get control of your overhead. By giving employees a break between peak hours, you can keep your labor costs low and ensure that you have the right number of employees on the clock for the work that needs to be done.

2) Productivity

There’s an inverse relationship between productivity and hours worked. In other words, as the number of hours an employee works goes up, their productivity goes down.

By incorporating a split shift into your daily schedule, you give your employees a much-needed break. During that time, they can rest and recharge in preparation for the second part of their workday. That helps keep their productivity and customer service levels high.

3) Coverage

Dividing shifts into two parts may help ensure that you have the coverage you need to handle everything from extended business hours to increased customer activity throughout the day.

All without team members straying into overtime territory.

For example, if your normal work schedule has employees working from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. but your business stays open until 7:00 p.m., you might not have the right number of team members to make these extra two hours successful.

But, if you set up a shift from 8:00 a.m. to noon, give your employees some time off when other businesses (or your clients) are at a low point of activity, and another shift from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., you’ll have the coverage you need to make the extended hours work.

4) Responsiveness to customer needs

The concept of coverage that we mentioned in the previous section dovetails nicely with another important aspect of your business: customer needs. More specifically, your business’s responsiveness to those customer needs.

A split shift can give your business the ability to have a full set of team members on the clock when your customers need them the most.

Such a schedule also makes it possible for your business to fulfill those needs without asking your employees to work more hours than normal and possibly cutting into your labor budget with unnecessary overtime hours.

5) Employee retention

To the right person, this modified schedule may serve as a reason to stay with your business longer.

The split shift can serve as a perk or benefit that may:

• Make it more appealing to work for your company
• Lower your company’s attrition rate
• Increase employee retention

While it might not be the only deciding factor in retention, a split work shift can certainly contribute to the overall picture of employee happiness and their willingness to stay on your team.

6) Hiring Incentive

Providing a modified schedule isn’t only attractive to your existing team members. It may also be attractive to potential new hires.

Positioned correctly, a split shift may serve as a hiring incentive that can help you pull high-performing employees into your ranks where they can do the most good for your business.

7) Competitive advantage

As your business realizes and accumulates the benefits mentioned in this article, it may also enjoy a competitive advantage over direct competitors in the same industry.

If your business has happier, more motivated employees, word may spread so that clients and customers who didn’t frequent your business in the past may start to do so because of your new-found reputation.

Is a split shift right for your business?

A split shift doesn’t make sense for all businesses. Office environments typically don’t benefit from this type of schedule because there isn’t a lull in activity during certain parts of the day.

But for the food service, call center, public transportation, and hospitality sectors (where there is a significant lull at specific times), it can solve many of the scheduling and cost issues that managers regularly encounter.

Split shifts and the busy restaurant

Split shifts can be especially useful in the restaurant industry, where hours are long and turnover is high. If you think this type of schedule would work well for your restaurant, consider giving those who are interested a chance to try it for a few weeks or a month to see how things go.

If, after a sufficient testing period, it doesn’t seem to be working (for the business or for the employees), you can always go back to the rota you had before.

That said, before you decide on whether a split shift is right for your team or not, be sure to ask them for their thoughts (either via survey, team meeting, or one-on-one meeting) — some may want to try it, while others may like the schedule you’ve already got in place.

Tips for working with split shifts

1) Know the local and federal laws

Be sure to check federal, state, and local laws regarding split shifts before implementing them in your business. More specifically, reference The Federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

And if your business resides in California or New York, look up the regulations regarding split-shift premiums and the spread of hours.

If you want to be extra certain you’re scheduling your employees fairly and legally according to local, state, and federal statutes, consult with a labor lawyer who is familiar with the requirements in your area.

2) Factor in commute time

The commute to and from work can occupy a significant portion of your employees’ non-work hours. If you implement a split shift in your business, be sure to factor in the time, effort, and expense associated with leaving and returning to work.

3) Keep meticulous records

IIt’s essential that you and your employees keep meticulous records of all split-shift activity. This includes:

• Start times
• Stop times
• Meal breaks (if applicable)
• When the split shifts should start and end
• Total daily hours worked

In addition to keeping your own records on file, it’s important to outline the requirements of the split shift in your employee handbook.

4) Exercise good communication

Good communication is the heart and soul of the employee/employer relationship and plays a fundamental role in helping you execute a split shift schedule successfully.

If team members don’t know exactly when they’re working, the work day may become a jumbled mess of absenteeism, no call/no shows, and missed shifts.

If you do choose to incorporate a novel schedule, be sure to give your team members plenty of instruction about the new arrangement and time to adapt to any changes that come their way.

5) Make it easy to track work hours

A good way to ensure the success of your new schedule is to make it as easy as possible to track work hours.

Employees will have twice as many clock-ins and clock-outs as they would in a regular, undivided work day, so the beginnings and ends of shifts should flow smoothly and without bottlenecks.

Making it easy for your team to track work hours also helps you down the line when it comes time to translate all of your employees’ timesheet data into payroll.

6) Maintain efficient scheduling

The complex nature of the split shift can throw a monkey wrench into your scheduling process.

But, with the right software and tools at your disposal, you may be better equipped to maintain efficient scheduling no matter what type of schedule your business employs.

7) Mind the gap time

One of the most common questions employees have about split shifts is, “What should I do during those hours off?” This is understandable because most split shifts have a gap of at least two or three hours.

If your business is located in a city where most employees commute by bus or train, going home might not be an option, as the trip there and back could take up their entire break.

To make the split shift work for your business and your team, consider creating a comfortable breakroom with Wi-Fi, snacks, and even a quiet place to take a nap. This can make the gap time easier to manage and help team members handle the schedule.

8) Take advantage of the split shift to train your team

A split shift isn’t just a way to cover the busy lunch and dinner rush. It’s also a way to work some training into the day.

Consider using the first hour of the second split shift to hold brief meetings or cross-training sessions. Since these employees are coming in fresh after a long break, they’re often more focused and energetic than employees who’ve already been on their feet for five or six hours.

Take advantage of this focus and energy to teach them new features of your POS system or introduce the prep cooks to a new recipe. This keeps your team growing and learning without needing to schedule extra training days.

9) Avoid burnout

While split shifts have plenty of benefits, they can also be tiring. Working a spread of hours that lasts from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. means the employee is dedicated to work for 12 hours, even if they’re off for four of them. To keep your team from burning out, try these three strategies.

Limit frequency: Don’t schedule the same person for more than four split shifts in a row. Mix them in with regular shifts to give your employees’ internal clocks a break.

Be consistent: If a server works the 11-2 and 5-9 split on Tuesdays, try to keep that same rhythm every Tuesday. It’s much easier for employees to plan doctor appointments or childcare when they know exactly when their gap time will be.

Consider the commute: If you know an employee lives an hour away, a split shift might be a big burden for them. Try to offer split shifts to those who live close by or have their own transportation.

10) Use technology to stay organized

Trying to track split shifts on a paper calendar or even a spreadsheet is a headache waiting to happen. You have to account for different clock-in times, varying pay rates, and local labor laws. This is where a dedicated software solution becomes a lifesaver.

With advanced software (like Sling), you can see your entire spread of work hours at a glance, and the system can alert you if a split shift is getting too long or if you’ve scheduled someone for too many hours in a week.

Plus, in many cases, your employees can see their split shifts right on their phones. They’ll know exactly when to head out and when to head back in, which reduces no-shows and keeps your business running like a well-oiled machine.

Sling makes scheduling split shifts easy

If a split shift looks difficult to schedule, don’t worry, it’s not…as long as you use the right tools. Scheduling software like Sling simplifies even the most complicated split shifts, rotating shifts, and night shifts. All you have to do is sit down, make your schedule, and move on to more pressing matters.

Sling’s cloud-based features, from schedule creation to time clock to payroll calculations, make it easy for you to produce the best schedule possible, distribute it with ease, make changes, and juggle time-off requests.

Sling even provides suggestions and warnings when you’ve double-booked a team member or created a conflict in another part of your schedule. All of this (and much more) makes Sling an excellent choice for simplifying your split-shift work schedule.

For more free resources to help you manage your business better, organize and schedule your team, and track and calculate labor costs, visit GetSling.com today.

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This content is for informational purposes and is not intended as legal, tax, HR, or any other professional advice. Please contact an attorney or other professional for specific advice.

Frequently asked questions

What is a split shift premium?

A split shift premium is extra money, usually equal to one hour of pay at the applicable minimum wage rate, given as a “thank you” for working a split shift.

If an employee earns significantly more than the minimum wage, their daily earnings may offset the premium enough that it wouldn’t apply. For example, if an employee earns $25/hour and the minimum wage is $18/hour, their pay might cover the premium, resulting in little or no extra payment.

Some states have made split shift premiums mandatory, while other states leave it up to the employer. Check your local labor laws to make sure your business is compliant.

How does a split shift affect overtime?

Split shifts don’t change the basic rules of overtime, but they can make tracking it a bit tricky.

Even though an employee’s day is broken into two parts, you must add all the hours worked in both parts together. If the total time worked in a single week goes over 40 hours, you’ll need to pay them time-and-a-half.

Using a tool like Sling makes calculating these combined totals automatic and error-free.

Can I require employees to work split shifts?

Generally, yes, you can require split shifts as a condition of employment. However, it’s always best to talk to your team first.

Some people love the midday break for errands, while others might find the extra commute difficult. If you make it mandatory, be sure to update your employee handbook so everyone knows what to expect.

Clear communication helps keep your culture strong and your staff happy and engaged.

Do split shifts work for office jobs?

While split shifts are perfect for restaurants with lunch and dinner rushes, they aren’t usually a great fit for traditional offices.

Most office work depends on everyone being available at the same time to collaborate. If your team needs to answer emails or attend meetings all day, a split shift might actually hurt your productivity.

Split shift schedules work best for businesses that have clear “peak” times and “slow” periods during the day.

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