Staffing information affects audit planning because it helps explain the scale, timing and variety of the work being assessed. A total headcount alone cannot show whether significant operations happen at night, depend on temporary workers or are performed by external teams.
Describe work patterns as well as totals
Build the staffing description around roles and processes. Show where people work, which activities they perform and how supervision is arranged. Distinguish employees, agency personnel and relevant outsourced roles without assuming that a contract label determines their relevance to the management system.
Explain differences between shifts. Two shifts may use the same equipment yet have different product mixes, support availability or responsibilities. Seasonal operations can also look very different from a quiet-period snapshot. The certification body needs the real operating picture to consider assessment coverage and timing.
Prepare a staffing schedule that can be understood
- List each site and its principal operational and support functions.
- Show the people associated with each shift or working pattern using the definitions requested on the application.
- Explain part-time arrangements and avoid counting the same shared team repeatedly without explanation.
- Identify seasonal peaks, temporary labour and activities unavailable outside certain periods.
- Describe remote or outsourced roles that affect the proposed scope and how the organization manages their work.
Use a stated reference period and note expected changes. Reconcile the schedule with operational managers rather than relying solely on payroll. Payroll may not include agency labour, while a group-wide personnel total may include functions outside the applicant’s proposed boundary.
Let the applicable programme determine audit arrangements
Do not convert the schedule into audit days using an unofficial multiplier. Different management system subjects and certification programmes have their own planning considerations. Ask the body to explain material assumptions and how staffing changes should be reported. Scheduling an audit for convenience alone can leave important operations unavailable to observe.
A hypothetical example
Imagine a packing company with eight office staff and a larger evening packing team. Its first application lists only permanent daytime employees. A review of the operating schedule reveals agency workers, a separate evening supervisor and maintenance support shared with another site.
The company revises the staffing information and describes the activities performed on each shift. This gives the body a basis to consider representative coverage and access to relevant personnel. The useful result is an accurate plan discussion, not an assumed entitlement to a particular number of audit days.
Frequently asked questions
Do part-time workers count as full-time staff?
Use the definitions and calculation method requested by the certification body. Provide the underlying working pattern instead of deciding your own conversion without explanation.
Can the audit happen when production is stopped?
Discuss the purpose and timing of each assessment activity. Records may remain available during shutdown, but that does not establish that all necessary operational evidence can be assessed.
For the broader standard context, see ISO’s explanation of certification. The steps above are practical guidance; use the applicable standard and certification programme for precise requirements.
Related reading: the certification process and evaluating a certification body. Contact EQRM with your site and shift schedule when requesting or updating audit planning.