Which measure would be most effective at reducing personnel costs?

• A. Eliminating census counts
• B. Performing housekeeping duties after regular hours
• C. Hiring an additional person to eliminate the use of overtime
• D. Restructuring assignments to require less overtime

Answer: (D)

Reducing overtime hours by reorganizing how work is assigned is the most effective way to lower personnel costs. Overtime pay typically costs more than regular wages, so limiting or eliminating those extra hours directly lowers payroll expenses while still maintaining appropriate staffing and coverage. By restructuring assignments, you can spread workload more evenly across the standard workday, cross-train staff to handle multiple tasks, and schedule tasks so that the bulk of work fits within regular hours.

Eliminating census counts isn’t a cost-saving measure and could harm data accuracy. Having housekeeping after regular hours would push work into non-regular time and likely incur overtime or require additional staffing, which doesn’t reduce overall costs. Hiring an extra person to eliminate overtime increases total payroll rather than reducing it. So, reorganizing tasks to require less overtime best achieves the goal of lower personnel costs.