[Sample] Q&A: Should we pay caregivers more for weekend and holiday shifts?
Shift differentials are common. Here is how agencies set them and what they cost.
Sample article for testing the newsroom layout. The agencies, people and figures below are fictional.
Weekend and holiday shifts are the hardest to fill. Many agencies pay extra to cover them. These answers are based on the fictional agencies in our sample.
Is a shift differential required by law?
Usually not. Premium pay for weekends and holidays is a business choice in most places, unless a contract or local rule says otherwise.
How much do agencies typically add?
Most add $1 to $3 an hour for weekends and pay time and a half on six or seven major holidays.
Does it actually fill shifts?
In our sample, agencies that paid a weekend differential filled about 90 percent of weekend shifts on the first try, against about 70 percent for those that did not.
Should we pass the cost to clients?
Many agencies charge a higher rate on holidays and say so in the service agreement. Fewer charge more on weekends.
What is the simplest way to start?
Pick the holidays that are hardest to staff, pay time and a half on those, and see what happens before adding a weekend rate.