The Shift Amp blog

Notes on running calmer operations.

December 17, 2024

Exit Interview Questions: Everything To Ask

A hundred exit interview questions, a nine-step process for running one that gets honest answers, and what departing employees should expect.

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December 10, 2024

Nursing Scheduler Job Description Examples

What a nursing scheduler actually does, three job descriptions for hospital, nursing home and clinic settings, and why software has not replaced the role.

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December 6, 2024

How to Start an Event Planning Business: A Comprehensive Guide

Ten steps from market research to launch — choosing a niche, registering the business, pricing the work, and building the network the whole thing runs on.

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December 3, 2024

Part-Time vs. Full-Time: An Easy Guide for Employers & Employees

What actually separates part-time from full-time work — hours, benefits, security and progression — and what the law says about each.

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November 26, 2024

When I Work vs Homebase: A Quick Comparison

Both cover scheduling and time tracking well. The deciding factor is usually whether you also need HR and compliance tooling in the same product.

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November 14, 2024

Small Business Payroll: Your Guide To Get It Done Right

How to set up payroll, the mistakes that cost small businesses the most, and the tools worth considering — from QuickBooks to Square.

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November 5, 2024

How to Make a Time Off Policy

The types of leave to cover, the guidelines that prevent disputes, five example policies, and the mistakes that make a time off policy unworkable.

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October 29, 2024

How To Craft An Effective Sick Leave Policy (+ Free Examples)

What belongs in a sick leave policy, the state accrual rules that override your defaults, and three ready-to-adapt examples.

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October 17, 2024

How To Craft An Effective Overtime Policy (+ Free Examples)

The five elements every overtime policy needs, the state rules that override the federal floor, and three worked policy examples you can adapt.

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October 8, 2024

Home Care Marketing: Our Comprehensive Guide

How to find your audience, build a value proposition, use digital channels and collect testimonials — including the FTC and HIPAA rules that apply to the last one.

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October 1, 2024

How to Calculate Work Hours

The methods, the edge cases and five worked examples — including breaks, overtime, night differentials and job sharing.

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September 24, 2024

When I Work vs Connecteam: Which Fits Your Business?

One is a focused scheduling and time-tracking tool, the other an all-in-one employee management platform. How to tell which problem you actually have.

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September 17, 2024

Creating a Nursing Dress Code Policy (With Examples)

Role-by-role dress code examples for RNs, CNAs, LPNs and support staff — and the infection control and accommodation rules the policy has to satisfy.

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September 12, 2024

How to Calculate Double-Time Pay

Double time is twice the regular rate — but federal law never requires it. Where the obligation actually comes from, and how to calculate it correctly.

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September 3, 2024

Areas of Improvement for Employees

Six development areas that come up in almost every review — communication, time management, adaptability, leadership, problem-solving and emotional intelligence — broken into specifics you can actually coach.

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August 22, 2024

Understanding Shift Differential: What It Means for Employees

The premium paid for nights, weekends and holidays — how it is calculated, why it changes overtime pay, and five worked examples.

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August 13, 2024

Free Small Business Employee Handbook

What belongs in a small business employee handbook, why it protects you legally, and a free template you can adapt section by section.

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August 1, 2024

Seasonal Employees: Navigating the Ups and Downs of Seasonal Employment

Who counts as a seasonal employee, what benefits they are owed, the FLSA and ACA rules that apply, and how to manage a workforce that turns over every year.

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July 30, 2024

Understanding Workforce Management

The five components of workforce management, how the discipline changed once software took over the arithmetic, and the platforms worth knowing about.

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July 25, 2024

When I Work vs Sling: Scheduling, Labor Costs and Fit

When I Work optimises for a fast, simple schedule. Sling optimises for labor cost control. Which of those is your actual problem?

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July 16, 2024

Understanding the 9/80 Work Schedule

Eighty hours over nine days, with every other Friday off. How the 9/80 schedule handles the crossover day, why the FLSA workweek matters, and what to weigh before offering it.

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July 9, 2024

20+ Interview Questions Hiring Managers Should Ask

Behavioral, situational, technical and cultural-fit questions worth asking — role-specific sets for restaurants, retail and healthcare, and the questions you must never ask.

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June 27, 2024

Mandatory Overtime in Nursing: The Hidden Hours Behind the Scrubs

What mandatory overtime costs nurses, patients and hospitals — and where the law has started to draw a line around it.

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June 18, 2024

Performance Review Examples: How to Evaluate Your Employees

Five complete performance review examples, 25 tips for running one well, phrases for both sides of the table, and the research on why annual reviews so often backfire.

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