Date: 201510
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZOB.ARTCC, OH
Light: Night
Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight plan: IFR
Airspace: Class A ZOB
ATC / advisory: Center ZOB
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Distraction; Situational Awareness
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic
Contributing factors: Staffing
Primary problem: Staffing

Narrative: We went into the shift slightly short staffed. Management knew that we were beneath the number and they were approved to call in overtime. Management agreed that it was beneficial to hold over 2 controllers (1 FPL; and 1 trainee) in order to provide appropriate staffing. I feel that this decision ultimately led to an unsafe situation in which I worked a combined sectors that were too busy/complex without a D side. We normally staff the area with 3 or 4 Radar positions and one D side that can float around and help somewhere else; with 3-4 people on break/able to be paged back within minutes. Tonight we were running with 3 Radars and 1 D side as usual. The problem was when two of the 3 radar positions got so busy that we were unable to get people back in time. All sectors had turbulence and minor deviations; I asked for a D side; which was pulled from another position that was also busy. Management paged someone back in order to help the other D side. There was an attempt to page back a controller; then the supervisor paged back the other supervisor; and went 'looking for the controller' who was actually clocked out and past his shift duty time. During this session specifically between the times of XA40-XB00 I had a good amount of traffic on frequency; with a complex workload. The radar person beside me had told management that she was ill and was going to be sick at the sector; the supervisor proceeded to page another FPL back. I had a sector west of me call and help me with a possible traffic situation that I had missed. At this time; we went into the hold for LGA with a short notice. We had both supervisors in the area and at one time 1 FPL on break.I feel that our staffing was inadequate for our workload; management's decision to use 'hold over' overtime was an unsafe call that created at least 3 unsafe situations/sectors. If safety really is the main goal of the FAA; we need to staff accordingly. Taking 2 sick leave calls for our late night staffing which is normally 4 people is not safe. We were short staffed the majority of the night and it wasn't an unsafe issue until we had the volume and complexity.As I finish this report; which I have spent doing on my break; I got paged from management to come back and I was unable to report now; I will have to resume tomorrow.When our staffing gets below the minimum number; we need to factor in the staffing throughout the shift; not just focus on getting 2 controllers to stay a bit late. This situation happened in the middle of the shift with the number of controllers that we had going into the shift. Management made a poor decision and it created an unsafe environment; enough so that I felt obligated to report the event and bring it to attention. Who knows? Do people even read these?




Synopsis: ZOB Controller reported of staffing issues on a shift. Controller did not like the fact that Management did not call in overtime for the shift and reported that Management went looking for someone to keep over; but that person had already left. Reporter felt that hold over and overtime was an unsafe call that created at least 3 unsafe situations/sectors.