Unplanned absence buffer

Unplanned absence is spiky: a low average hides much worse bad days that cluster on the worst possible dates. Plan to the average and you’re short when it matters. This tool shows the gross headcount you need for an average day versus a spike day, and lets you choose how much of that spike you buffer into the plan and how much you flex against on the day.

Your numbers

How it works

To get a net number of agents onto the floor you have to roster more, because a share won’t show: gross = net ÷ (1 − absence). The average absence sets your baseline gross; the bad-day absence sets the worst case. The gap between them is the exposure. Buffering all of it over-pays on every good day; buffering none of it leaves you short on the bad ones. The honest answer is usually in between — buffer the share you can’t flex against quickly, and hold overtime, swaps and deferrable work in reserve for the rest. See planning for unplanned absence.