Harnessing AI for Shift Work Optimization

Speaker 1 0:00

Today something completely different , but it is a topic that's going to really get you thinking . Today I want to talk about artificial intelligence , or AI , and how will AI transform our shift working environments ? Now you might be thinking , oh yeah , but we're police or we're fire or we're paramedics , or we're nurses and doctors , we drive trains and AI can't replace us . But what about areas that AI can really really support our shift working environments ? And I've got one today that if you don't clench your fists and say , yes , I never thought of that , I'll go . He Shift work can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be Welcome to a healthy shift .

Speaker 1 0:59

My name is Roger Sutherland , certified nutritionist , veteran law enforcement officer and 24-7 shift worker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shift workers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rigours of shift work , but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show Welcome to A Healthy Shift , which is the podcast dedicated to helping you , the shift worker , thrive and not just survive . I am your host , roger Sutherland , and today I really want to shine a spotlight , let's just say , into the future , a future where artificial intelligence , or AI , is poised to revolutionize our shift working environments . Now let's be clear AI is no longer science fiction . It is absolutely here and so many people are using it , and it's time for us to now explore how we can harness it to improve the lives of our shift workers and the workplaces that they are actually supporting .

Speaker 1 2:11

Now you might think and , as I said at the opening , you might think oh no , we always need foot traffic and people out on the beat . Yeah , that's absolutely correct , that's absolutely correct . But could we get more people out there if we were reducing the roles of those people and we all know who they are in those hidey holes that seem to be doing something but don't really . No one really knows what it is they're actually doing . We could replace them and get their butts out on the street and actually helping us with a visible presence , instead of not being in that hidey hole office . So let's actually have a think about AI Now .

Speaker 1 2:52

Shift work as we know it really does have its challenges . We have unpredictable rosters , we have quick shifts , we have burnout of our members and workers and the constant juggle of work-life balance . But what if I told you AI could take on many of these challenges and actually improve the way we work ? So let me bring to you my way that I would be using AI in your shift working environment . And I don't care what you do for a job , we can use AI in it , guaranteed .

Speaker 1 3:30

And this is one place where , if you don't get to the end of this section and go oh my God , I hadn't even thought of that Well , here it is . Let's talk about scheduling and rostering , because the backbone of all 24-7 operations and I know for four decades creating rosters has been a manual , time-consuming task for managers and it requires them to balance staffing needs , individual availability and compliance with workplace rules . Ebas and AI can literally change the game here entirely . Now I know from four decades no one wants the roster portfolio in our job or the job that I did in policing . It's a nightmare trying to accommodate everybody , trying to make sure everyone gets weekends , and here we are at a stage where we have minimal staff and all we're doing is just packing shifts in , and if you don't get along with the roster sergeant , you've got yourself a massive problem right . And there's no secret there in any way whatsoever . But what about if we had AI-powered rostering systems that went back through and analysed historical data who worked last Easter , who worked last Christmas , who worked last weekend , employee preferences let's put the requests in for what needs to be done and what else are the organisational needs to create an optimised schedule , not over the course of two weeks , but in minutes , and then it can just be massaged . So I know that our rosters used to take weeks to be compiled and even then it looked like a dog's breakfast because of the changes that was made after it was published . And I'm quite sure in majority of organizations it's very , very much the same .

Speaker 1 5:25

But what about if we gave AI a set of rules , a set of instructions , an EBA to work to and made sure that Jenny's requests were in and Bill's requests were in and everybody knew what , and it spat a roster out and then it could just flag with areas where people were not filled ? It could really make a massive difference , because what it could actually do is AI can ensure that there's always an adequate coverage so it's covering the workplace while accounting for individual preferences like alternating weekends off and get this . What about avoiding those goddamn quick shifts as well , which would become unnecessary . All you got to do is create a rule and put it in there , and it would stop them and respecting people's personal commitments . Now these systems would also just adapt on the fly to unexpected absences or spikes in demand seamlessly . This will reallocate resources to keep operations just running smoothly .

Speaker 1 6:30

Now I want you to think about that for a minute , because if you are a person who has actually used AI for anything at all like a chat , gpt and , let's be honest , that's probably a basic form , but there are many , many , many different ways that you can use artificial intelligence If you were to put a whole set of rules into an AI , it could literally spit your roster out in minutes , and I mean that with all sincerity . It could spit your roster out in minutes and then all someone would have to do , like the officer in charge or the manager , could just go over it and just make sure that it is actually covering and working for it , or , no doubt , when you put the roster out , the staff are going to tell you about it anyway . If you think about that , it just makes sense , and what it does is it frees up that person to get it back out on the road and start working and doing what they need to be doing , instead of working in these hidey holes . That is the one , if you don't literally just put your hand to your head and go oh my God , that is where we could actually use AI . I'll be really , really surprised . Maybe your work environment is already doing this , and all kudos to them as well , but I know that policing is still in the dark ages and they are still manually with a person as a roster sergeant , with what had become known is the pen is mightier than the sword . You upset the roster sergeant , you were punished forever , and that was something that caused major problems . Think about all the data that you could put in it and it would just spit it out Amazing .

Revolutionizing Shift Work With AI

Speaker 1 8:09

Anyway , now let's talk about work-life balance , because one of the biggest pain points in shift work is feeling like you are actually living dedicated to your roster or your schedule . Now AI could literally empower workers by offering more control over their rosters . For example , employees could input their preferred shifts or the blockout times that they need off , and the AI would automatically take this into account , while it would still meet operational needs . It is absolutely a win-win . Happy workers equals a smooth operation . But here is where it gets even more exciting and this is where , if you're a manager , you really need to have a good listen to this , because AI will and I say this again , not could or may , it will actively reduce unplanned leave and illness .

Speaker 1 9:03

How Well it would ensure that schedules promote better health . Ai systems could literally be flagging patterns of overwork or fatigued-inducing schedules , recommending alternatives before that burnout or those health issues arise . Go on , I dare you try and argue that with me . There'll be no more grueling stretches of night shifts followed by quick turnarounds , just intelligently designed rosters that work to what science is telling us in relation to workers' health and wellbeing , and prioritising that . Now let's think about the financial impact of this , because unplanned leave and burnout are incredibly costly for working environments , particularly at the moment in first responders and frontline health , because for workers and businesses alike . Now , with AI , companies could really save significantly by minimising these issues . And let's not forget the ripple effect , because when we have healthier workers , this actually means better productivity , lower turnover of staff , which means we end up with a higher morale in the workplace because everyone's turning up for the shifts and the schedules that they're scheduled to work .

Speaker 1 10:23

Now AI isn't just all about scheduling . It could literally support shift work in many , many other ways as well , but I think scheduling and rostering is an area that we really really need to be looking at and pushing really hard . Now it could look at predictive analytics . Ai could actually forecast our staffing needs based on the trends . Once it looks at the data , it could analyse who's needed and where . So if you think about some of those workplaces that you're in when it's got to look at what's coming up , easter or Christmas and we always think , oh , it's a really busy period , but is it ? And we always look at other things , and AI could actually predict , like I know , for argument's sake , next year we have Easter and we also have Anzac Day here in Australia and New Zealand in the same week . So we have Good Friday , saturday , sunday and Easter Monday . Then we've got Tuesday , wednesday , thursday off and then we've got Anzac Day on the Friday , saturday , sunday . How many people do you think are going to take the three days off ? It's going to be hell on wheels for most emergency services in that week . It could predict that . It could predict it and it could actually work towards it and allow staffing by working to what we need and how we need to go about it , based on analytics . It based on analytics , we could also training and upskilling , because AI-powered platforms could deliver tailored learning modules during downtime , which would help workers stay engaged and improve their skills .

Speaker 1 11:59

There could be real-time communication , because AI chatbots could assist shift workers with instant answers to common questions , whether it's about policies , pay or requesting time off . Now , think about that In your pay branch . I can only go back to my time in the police . How many times did you get to the end of an overtime shift and you had to ask your sergeant or your supervisor what am I entitled to when it comes to meal allowances , or what am I entitled to when it comes to overtime ? You could be literally using chatbots for that . Make no bones about it . Ai will do that without any problems whatsoever . All it does is it just analyzes the EBA and answers the question . It's really , really simple . Think about that one . Now . Let's just pause for a breath for a second . My goodness me , it's really coming thick and fast , and I know you think , wow , I hadn't even thought of that . Now I know what you're thinking .

Speaker 1 12:53

Doesn't AI mean fewer jobs for people ? In reality , ai is absolutely not here to replace humans , but to work alongside us . It will save time . By automating repetitive tasks like rostering , we actually free up time for managers to focus on the human side of his leadership coaching , supporting his team and driving workplace culture , instead of being buried in an office trying to put together a shift schedule . Now for shift workers , what this means is more meaningful work and less stress , and , let's be honest , no one's going to miss the frustration of juggling last minute roster changes or feeling like their health is taking a backseat on the demands of a 24-7 schedule . So how can we , in the future , prepare for this AI powered life ? The first thing we need to do is we need to embrace the change , because AI is here and there's more and more of it coming , and it's going to get better , and the sooner that we learn to leverage it in our life , the better it's actually going to be .

Speaker 1 13:59

If you're not using AI , you are getting left behind . Today , we need to stay informed . Ask your workplace how are you planning to integrate AI into our operation ? Ask them , ask the question . Maybe they haven't even considered it or thought about it . Send them to this podcast . There is ways that they can use AI that could just seamlessly come in and save them a massive amount of time and advocate for your needs . If AI is used to create schedules , ensure that the rules are programmed into it to reflect what matters to you , whether that's avoiding quick shifts or getting weekends off or prioritising work-life balance .

Speaker 1 14:41

Now , we all know that we are suffering horrendously from burnout in frontline health and also emergency services at the moment , and a lot of it because we have and I'm going to call it , we have ignorant people that are writing rosters that actually don't care . They're just pumping people into the 24-7 workplace with zero regard or respect for people's health and wellbeing , and AI will take care of that , because it'll work to the EBA and where those supervisors or sergeants were turning around and saying , oh , there's no one else , don't worry , ai will absolutely put someone else in it and it will work to it . It's there , okay . So what do you think ? Interesting one , isn't it ?

Speaker 1 15:28

This is only a short podcast today , but it's going to leave you thinking and it's going to leave you with a lot burning in your head as to where you could actually be using . So what I want you to do is a little exercise . When you next go to work , start thinking about the repetitiveness of some of your tasks and how could AI actually help in that area , and start having those discussions with management , because AI is here and it is highly intelligent and you don't have to feed it my apologies and you don't have to feed it , you don't have to light it up , you don't have to do anything with it , it just does it , and it does it in a fraction of the time that anybody else would do it or that a human would do it . Ai has the potential to literally transform shift work environments for the better . It's not just about efficacy , it's about creating a healthier and more sustainable way to work , and shift workers deserve to thrive and , with the right tools and mindset , the future literally does look brighter than ever , and this is an area that you may not have thought about , but it is here . So thanks for tuning into a healthy shift .

Speaker 1 16:48

If you found this podcast helpful , what about if you forward it onto your manager it's literally going to be under 18 minutes and get them to have a listen to it and see where there is that they could be integrating AI into their workplace . Share it with your colleagues , and please , if you could if it's something you haven't thought about , but it's really giving you a brain explosion please leave it a review , give it five stars and write a review on apple podcast . You guys have been really slack with this and I'm working hard here to put these podcasts out . Come up with these ideas and put them out there . What about just a few minutes of acknowledgement just to do , just to give it a review , because this then helps me to reach more shift workers and more shift working environments , to get more of these theories out there .

Speaker 1 17:40

And , as always , if you're ready to take your shift work strategies to the next level , please visit my website or , even better , get your managers or your workplaces to connect with me on LinkedIn . And until next time , take care , and I want you to stay healthy . Thank you for listening . If you enjoyed this episode , be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released . It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on . If you want to know more about me or work with me , you can go to ahealthyshiftcom . I'll catch you on the next one .