{"id":7671,"date":"2020-06-10T14:55:08","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T13:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=7671"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:14:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:14:21","slug":"workforce-planning-manage-shift-patterns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/workforce-planning-manage-shift-patterns\/","title":{"rendered":"Workforce planning: How to effectively manage employee shift patterns"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWorkforce planning: How to effectively manage employee shift patterns\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2020-06-10T14:55:08+01:00\">10 June, 2020<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Workforce planning: How to effectively manage employee shift patterns\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/workforce-planning-manage-shift-patterns\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/davidkelly\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/02\/David-Kelly-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"David Kelly\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/02\/David-Kelly-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/02\/David-Kelly-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/02\/David-Kelly-810x810.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/02\/David-Kelly.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">David Kelly<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ability to predict the future would be the holy grail for any business. Of course, absolute certainty about what might happen tomorrow will never be possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But tools being developed today are helping businesses to get a better view of how busy they are likely to be in coming days and weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-workforce-planning-matters\">Why workforce planning matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accurate workforce planning could be extremely valuable for small and medium businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re able to schedule the right number of employees, in the right places and at the right times to meet demand, you get round two big problems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The costs of overstaffing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The service glitches that happen when there aren\u2019t enough people on shift.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can also scale up or down quickly for busy events and periods to maximise profitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research shows that effective workforce planning increases sales and employee productivity. In one study, when a retailer gave store associates more stable schedules that matched demand, <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2018\/03\/research-when-retail-workers-have-stable-schedules-sales-and-productivity-go-up\">sales and productivity rose<\/a> by 7% and 5% respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, many business owners do their workforce planning based on gut feel or using cobbled-together spreadsheets and workarounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inevitably, this doesn\u2019t always hit the mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, more than ever, you need accurate answers to questions such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How many customers will we need to service throughout the day?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Who are the best people to schedule according to their skills, experience and availability?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What\u2019s the optimum number of people we need to meet demand?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How can we make sure we schedule people in a way that\u2019s always efficient?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#gate-5ca7bbbe-ac5e-4d49-89f0-9e39cf934858\">Download your free Remote Working guide<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-smart-workforce-planning\">Smart workforce planning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a more scientific way of getting these questions answered. First, efficient workforce planning needs to know two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-demand-signals-what-drives-your-volume-of-business\">1. Demand signals: What drives your volume of business?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the secret sauce to predicting demand and staffing needs. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Historical data on customer flow<\/strong>. How many customers did you have at equivalent points in the past? Accurate customer trends are an important metric on which to base your forecast.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sales trends and product popularity.<\/strong> What\u2019s selling out? What\u2019s not selling at all? Historical metrics help you make sure you have employees in the right part of your business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Labour percentage.<\/strong> For some businesses, the cost of labour compared to sales is a critical driver.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weather and seasonal trends.<\/strong> If you know it\u2019s going to be a sunny weekend, or that there\u2019s a public holiday or major sporting event on, this can influence how busy you\u2019ll be, depending on the business you\u2019re in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-employee-availability-who-have-you-got\">2. Employee availability: Who have you got?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understanding the available pool of employees is the second critical data input for efficient workforce planning. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How many people do you have in total?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What\u2019s their availability, taking into account shift preferences, the days per week they work, holidays?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How are they contracted? Full time, part time, variable hours, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How much are they paid?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What are their individual capabilities, qualifications and skill levels?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sources-for-data\"><strong>Sources for data<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where you look for these two data inputs from depends on how your business is set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Electronic point of sale (EPOS) systems will have historical sales data for many businesses. Booking systems or practice management systems will be able to tell you about trends in customer flow over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And data about labour costs and availability could come from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/human-resources\/\">HR software<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/payroll\/\">payroll systems<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/human-resources\/workforce-management\/\">workforce management<\/a> software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#gate-5ca7bbbe-ac5e-4d49-89f0-9e39cf934858\">Download your free Remote Working guide<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-making-it-smart\">Making it smart<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To get the maximum value from these data inputs, the key is to make sure they feed directly into a system that can then use them to answer critical questions about demand and scheduling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/cloud-technology-efficient\/\">cloud-based apps<\/a> makes it easy to do this. You can collect all key data in a business insights app or use data from one app to improve the performance of another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One example might be feeding sales forecasts into a workforce management app to inform employee requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Starting with just historical sales and employee availability can already drive major savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what smart workforce planning looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Optimum scheduling.<\/strong> Using your own business logic, you can automatically schedule the employees needed to meet demand, turning guesswork into an accurate and scalable scheduling model.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Clear insights.<\/strong> For example, being able to track the variance in workforce percentage and adjust schedules accordingly, or setting custom metrics against demand signals that are unique to your business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tighter budgeting.<\/strong> With hours and wage budgets clearly available at all times, managers can easily see their room for manoeuvre, which is particularly important when cost control is under sharp focus.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Constant visibility.<\/strong> Real-time performance statistics can help you stay on top of performance throughout the working week.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-thoughts-on-workforce-planning\">Final thoughts on workforce planning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, many companies are focused on survival and recovery, keeping costs to a minimum and sticking to tight budgets. There\u2019s also a need to scale up or down quickly, while at the same time being confident you have the people when and where you need them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smart workforce planning is ideally suited to today\u2019s imperatives. Tight scheduling and clear data on workforce percentage helps minimise waste and keep costs low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And with planning based on real metrics rather than guesswork, it\u2019s much easier to scale up or down without increasing admin, and to plan for future peaks and troughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Remote working: A guide for employers<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Learn how you can build an engaged remote workforce and overcome challenges with the help of cloud HR software.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-5ca7bbbe-ac5e-4d49-89f0-9e39cf934858\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1180387443-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1180387443-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/hr-process\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR processes for small businesses\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div 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related-post-1 post-9539 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership tag-employee-engagement tag-grow-business tag-hr-process business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/hiring-managing-employees-small-business\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/PMARCHITECTS_BB_03_078_2018_32240-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/PMARCHITECTS_BB_03_078_2018_32240-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/PMARCHITECTS_BB_03_078_2018_32240-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/PMARCHITECTS_BB_03_078_2018_32240-1213x810.jpg 1213w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-05T15:35:26+01:00\">5 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">13 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow to manage employees\u00a0in a small business\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-17260 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership tag-hr-process tag-hr-payroll-benefits business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/contract-of-employment\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-740534235-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-740534235-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-740534235-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-740534235-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-05T11:14:25+01:00\">5 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">9 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is a contract of employment?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-20920 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership tag-grow-business tag-recruit tag-hr-process tag-hr-payroll-benefits business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/hiring-freelancers-contractors-employees-business\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1421562922-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Thinking about hiring staff as the business grows\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1421562922-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1421562922-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1421562922-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-05T10:21:14+01:00\">5 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">12 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tContractor versus employee or freelancer: What\u2019s best for your business?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-31436 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership category-trends-insights tag-employee-engagement tag-employee-retention tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses tag-hr-process tag-hr-payroll-benefits tag-looking-after-your-employees tag-midsized-business tag-state-of-small-business business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-the-organisational-skills-gap\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-684x384.jpeg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-684x384.jpeg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-768x518.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-1200x810.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-07-27T15:58:09+01:00\">27 July, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">12 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is the organisational skills gap and how can businesses close it?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ability to predict the future would be the holy grail for any business. Of course, absolute certainty about what might happen tomorrow will never be possible. But tools being developed today are helping businesses to get a better view of how busy they are likely to be in coming days and weeks. Why workforce [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":978,"featured_media":7543,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[41],"business_type":[4,3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[69,71,73,74],"imagine_tag":[92,96,109],"coauthors":[408],"class_list":["post-7671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-hr-process","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"David Kelly","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/GettyImages-802944760_super.jpg","imagine_tags":{"92":"HR and Payroll","96":"Medium businesses","109":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/978"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/7543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7671"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=7671"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=7671"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=7671"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=7671"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=7671"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=7671"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}