Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile delivery

We tackle the problems of workforce sizing and shift scheduling of a logistic operator delivering parcels in the last-mile segment of the supply chain. Our working hypothesis is that the relevant decisions are affected by two main trade-offs: workforce size and shift stability. A large workforce can...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Mandal, Minakshi Punam, Santini, Alberto, Archetti, Claudia
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Repositorio:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/70439
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/70439
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2024.12.006
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:OR in service industries
Last-mile delivery
Workforce scheduling
Workforce sizing
Shift stability
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spelling Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile deliveryMandal, Minakshi PunamSantini, AlbertoArchetti, ClaudiaOR in service industriesLast-mile deliveryWorkforce schedulingWorkforce sizingShift stabilityWe tackle the problems of workforce sizing and shift scheduling of a logistic operator delivering parcels in the last-mile segment of the supply chain. Our working hypothesis is that the relevant decisions are affected by two main trade-offs: workforce size and shift stability. A large workforce can deal with demand fluctuations but incurs higher fixed costs; by contrast, a small workforce might require excessive outsourcing to third-party logistic providers. Stable shifts, i.e., with predictable start times and lengths, improve worker satisfaction and reduce turnover; at the same time, they might be less able to adapt to an unsteady demand. We test these assumptions through an extensive computational campaign based on a novel mathematical formulation. We find that extreme shift stability is, indeed, unsuitable for last-mile operations. At the same time, introducing a very limited amount of flexibility achieves similar effects as moving to a completely flexible system while ensuring a better work-life balance for the workers. Several recent studies in the social sciences have warned about the consequences of precarious working conditions for couriers and retail workers and have recommended -among other things- stable work schedules. Our work shows that it is possible to offer better working conditions in terms of shift stability without sacrificing the company's bottom line. Thus, companies prioritising profitability (as is often the case) can improve workers' well-being and increase retention with a negligible cost impact.Elsevier2025202520252025info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10230/70439http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2024.12.006reponame:Repositorio Digital de la UPFinstname:Universitat Pompeu FabraInglésEuropean Journal of Operational Research. 2025;323(1):153-69© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/704392026-06-12T07:21:37Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile delivery
title Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile delivery
spellingShingle Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile delivery
Mandal, Minakshi Punam
OR in service industries
Last-mile delivery
Workforce scheduling
Workforce sizing
Shift stability
title_short Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile delivery
title_full Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile delivery
title_fullStr Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile delivery
title_full_unstemmed Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile delivery
title_sort Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile delivery
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Mandal, Minakshi Punam
Santini, Alberto
Archetti, Claudia
author Mandal, Minakshi Punam
author_facet Mandal, Minakshi Punam
Santini, Alberto
Archetti, Claudia
author_role author
author2 Santini, Alberto
Archetti, Claudia
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv OR in service industries
Last-mile delivery
Workforce scheduling
Workforce sizing
Shift stability
topic OR in service industries
Last-mile delivery
Workforce scheduling
Workforce sizing
Shift stability
description We tackle the problems of workforce sizing and shift scheduling of a logistic operator delivering parcels in the last-mile segment of the supply chain. Our working hypothesis is that the relevant decisions are affected by two main trade-offs: workforce size and shift stability. A large workforce can deal with demand fluctuations but incurs higher fixed costs; by contrast, a small workforce might require excessive outsourcing to third-party logistic providers. Stable shifts, i.e., with predictable start times and lengths, improve worker satisfaction and reduce turnover; at the same time, they might be less able to adapt to an unsteady demand. We test these assumptions through an extensive computational campaign based on a novel mathematical formulation. We find that extreme shift stability is, indeed, unsuitable for last-mile operations. At the same time, introducing a very limited amount of flexibility achieves similar effects as moving to a completely flexible system while ensuring a better work-life balance for the workers. Several recent studies in the social sciences have warned about the consequences of precarious working conditions for couriers and retail workers and have recommended -among other things- stable work schedules. Our work shows that it is possible to offer better working conditions in terms of shift stability without sacrificing the company's bottom line. Thus, companies prioritising profitability (as is often the case) can improve workers' well-being and increase retention with a negligible cost impact.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2025
2025
2025
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10230/70439
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2024.12.006
url http://hdl.handle.net/10230/70439
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2024.12.006
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv European Journal of Operational Research. 2025;323(1):153-69
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
instname:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
instname_str Universitat Pompeu Fabra
reponame_str Repositorio Digital de la UPF
collection Repositorio Digital de la UPF
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15,812455

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