When demand surges, whether it’s for Christmas, Easter, summer BBQ season, or major retail promotions, food and drink manufacturers face a familiar challenge: how to scale up their workforce quickly and efficiently without losing control of costs, compliance, or operations.

For many, seasonal peaks mean a last-minute scramble to bring in temporary staff, increasing reliance on overtime and stretching scheduling teams to the limit. In Q3 2024, UK food and drink manufacturers reported a vacancy rate of 5.1%, which remains a significant challenge in meeting demand during peak times (FDF).

Relying on manual processes to manage staffing during peak times only adds to the pressure. When scheduling is done through spreadsheets, and compliance checks are handled manually, businesses face rising costs, higher absence rates, and operational inefficiencies. However, by leveraging advanced time and attendance and scheduling technology, manufacturers can effectively plan for seasonal peaks, ensuring they have the right workforce in place at the right time.

The Workforce Management Challenges of Seasonal Peaks

Staff shortages

Many UK manufacturers are already struggling with long-term vacancies, making it even harder to scale up when demand spikes. Last year, 25% of businesses reported labour shortages as a barrier to growth. scaling up staff during peak periods becomes a significant challenge that drives up costs and increases the risk of understaffing.

Rising staffing costs

With demand exceeding staff availability, food and drink manufacturers often have no choice but to increase overtime hours, pushing up payroll costs and increasing the risk of burnout among permanent employees. Without real-time visibility into shift patterns and staffing levels, businesses risk overspending on overtime while still failing to meet production targets.

Compliance risks

Seasonal workers must comply with Working Time Regulations, food safety regulations and shift-specific policies. But when staff are scheduled manually, it’s easy to overlook critical compliance checks, increasing the risk of non-compliance. In a heavily regulated industry, failing to meet legal requirements can result in fines, reputational damage, and production delays.

Last-minute scheduling pressures

Without the ability to plan effectively, manufacturers often rely on reactive scheduling, which can lead to gaps in shift cover, last-minute panic hiring, and inefficiencies on the production line.

A Smarter Approach to Managing Seasonal Peaks

Rather than struggling to find staff at the last minute or relying on excessive overtime, food and drink manufacturers can take a more proactive, data-driven approach. Workforce management technology can transform how businesses schedule and manage seasonal staffing demands, helping you to stay ahead of peaks rather than constantly playing catch-up.

• Smart Scheduling: Match staffing levels to demand with optimised shift scheduling, reducing the risk of under- or overstaffing.
• Shift Swap: Empower employees to exchange shifts among themselves (subject to managerial approval and compliance with organisational rules). This flexibility not only enhances employee satisfaction but also reduces the administrative burden on scheduling teams.
• Real-Time Visibility: Track hours worked, absences, and shift changes in one central system, making it easier to control costs and prevent scheduling gaps.
• Faster Onboarding & Compliance: Automate the onboarding of temporary workers, ensuring that everyone meets Working Time regulations and industry standards before their first shift.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Use real-time staffing data to plan ahead for future peak periods, reducing reliance on costly, last-minute solutions.

How Food & Drink Manufacturers Are Reducing Seasonal Workforce Strain

By adopting smarter workforce management practices, many UK food and drink businesses have already seen significant improvements in efficiency and cost control. For example:

• 30% reduction in absenteeism by improving workforce visibility and identifying trends early.
• 90% decrease in admin time spent on scheduling, compliance tracking, and timesheet management.
• More predictable staffing costs by eliminating unnecessary overtime and ensuring shifts are optimally filled.

Take Control of Seasonal Peaks Before They Take Control of You

Seasonal peaks are inevitable, but the stress, inefficiency, and cost overruns don’t have to be. By embracing technology and smarter workforce management, UK food and drink manufacturers can stay in control, ensuring the right staff are in place at the right time, without last-minute chaos.

The best approach to tackling seasonal peaks is to be proactive and plan ahead, using the latest workforce management tools to streamline your processes.

If you’re ready to discover how a Crown solution can improve your workforce management during busy seasons and all year round, book a demo today and see the difference for yourself.