Attendance, shift and leave process for Injection Moulding Units: rosters for presses that never stop
Presses run in three shifts, and a mould change or a sick setter leaves a gap that cannot wait. A clear shift and leave process keeps a qualified person on each press without constant phone calls.
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Share your requirementsWhy attendance, shift and leave process matters in injection moulding units
In most units the roster is a sheet on the notice board and changes are made by the shift supervisor on the day. Leave is approved by word of mouth. When two setters ask for the same festival week, the one who shouts loudest wins. Operators work double shifts because nobody has recorded who is available, and the person returning to a morning shift after a night at the press is tired when the mould is hot.
Good practice is a monthly roster that names a setter for every shift and a backup for each press group. Swaps are allowed within a simple rule, recorded and approved by the supervisor. Leave is requested early, with festival weeks planned in advance. Handover between shifts has a short written note of settings changed, rejects seen and moulds waiting. Attendance records are kept the same way by everyone.
How to set it up
1. Name a setter for every shift on the roster
Build the monthly roster around setters first, then fill operators. If a shift has no setter, mark it as a gap and decide how to cover it before the month starts.
2. Write a simple swap rule
Allow swaps between people of the same skill level, with the supervisor's approval before the shift. Record each swap so the attendance record matches who actually worked.
3. Plan leave around festivals and peak orders
Collect requests early for known holiday weeks. Share the plan with the team so people see why a request was or was not met. See attendance, shift and leave process.
4. Add a handover note between shifts
A half page at the press: settings changed, rejects seen, moulds waiting, anything unusual. The outgoing supervisor and the incoming one both sign it.
5. Review absence and overtime each week
Look at who covered which shifts, how many double shifts were worked and where absence repeats. A weekly look prevents quiet overload.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Count how many shifts last month had no setter on the roster.
- List operators who worked back to back shifts and how often it happened.
- Read two handover notes from last week, or note that none exist.
- Check how many leave requests were approved verbally and not recorded.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach attendance, shift and leave process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Keep a named backup per press group and a call-out list agreed in advance. Where no backup exists, the day setter may need to move. Over time, train a second setter so absence of one person never stops the shift.
Allow it within rules: same skill level, approval before the shift, recorded. Free swaps with no record cause disputes about pay and mean the roster no longer shows who is on the floor in an accident.
Set one clear rule and apply it evenly. At a press, a late operator leaves the outgoing person waiting on a hot machine. Talk to repeat cases to find the cause, such as transport, before treating it as a discipline matter.