Solving the multisite staff planning and scheduling problem in a sheltered employment centre that employs workers with intellectual disabilities by MILP: a Spanish case study

Abstract

In sheltered employment centres, staff planning and scheduling activities are critical for operations managers. A generic framework is not easy to set up not only because legal issues are diverse and differ among these service organization types, but one worker may not fit in anywhere at any time. This complexity is greater when workers with specific needs perform work activities in many labour enclaves and different sectors. In this paper, a mixed-integer linear model to solve workers’ shift assignments to other workplaces and various activities to form teams is proposed. The novelty of the proposed model lies in considering specific features, such as the skills matrix and the affinity matrix, between the different actors in a labour enclave. The model is validated using real instances from a case study, and several objectives are tested and discussed. The decision support system that sustains the model is introduced and managerial issues are discussed.