A fatigue management system, underpinned by workforce management technology, can boost bottom lines. Workplace fatigue can be a serious safety concern for the facility management industry. Tired workers are less alert and are unlikely to perform at optimum speed or efficiency.
Workplace fatigue is mental or physical exhaustion that reduces the ability to work effectively and safely. Fatigue in the workplace can go unnoticed, but it is surprisingly common, and it is becoming more prevalent.
According to a Navigo Research survey of Australian employers, 50 percent of organisations surveyed believed their workers are more fatigued now than in previous years, while 69 percent believe fatigue had a moderate to major impact on employee performance.
This represents a worsening workplace health and safety problem. The parallels between operating as a fatigued employee and operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs are thoroughly researched and well-documented. Being awake for 17 hours straight has been equated to having a blood alcohol content of .05 percent, which is the upper threshold of the legal limit for Australian drivers, it was reported in Nature, an international scientific journal.
Not only can fatigue-induced workplace incidents endanger workers and others, but they also affect the Australian economy substantially. Workplace fatigue accounts for up to $5 billion a year in lost productivity and healthcare costs, and more than $31 billion a year in the loss of healthy life, according to Monash University.
These figures highlight the potential danger workplace fatigue presents to the facility management industry; however, facility managers can do something about it. Using workforce management technology, they can reduce fatigue and workplace incidents, absenteeism and damage to facility equipment, while also increasing productivity.
Technology is key to fatigue management strategy
While many facilities managers already use electronic staff rostering systems, they often fall short of the functionality provided by a full-blown workforce management software suite. Managers should make sure they implement automated workforce management systems that can actively track employees’ hours worked, activities performed and absences.
This will ensure employees take adequate rest between shifts. It helps managers measure the degree and timing of the likely mental fatigue of workers based on shift-work patterns.
It’s important for employers to equip their managers with this technology, as it will help them to recognise when fatigue is becoming an issue.
Any good workforce management system should be equipped with the following functionality:
- complete and current view of rosters and employee fitness-for-duty
- triggered alerts if an employee’s fatigue risk changes
- guided processes for replacing fatigued workers with eligible call-ins, and
- detailed reporting on fatigue management policy compliance.
Monitoring fatigue in this way can also bring additional benefits including: higher employee engagement, better business agility and responsiveness to changing labour conditions, improved employer performance due to reduced fatigue, reduced costs as a result of inefficient rostering or unplanned-for days off, increased revenue due to improved performance, and better management visibility into scheduling requirements and staff availability.
To get the most out of workforce management technology, facilities managers should back it up with a fatigue management strategy. Managing fatigue is complex and multifaceted. It needs to focus on measuring workers’ mental fatigue as a joint responsibility between employee and employer. An overarching fatigue management strategy can help.
With a strategy in place, once an employee has been flagged as a fatigue risk, any number of predetermined actions can be performed. For example, managers can be notified as soon as a fatigue condition has been met and they can schedule mandatory days off.
Alternatively, managers can review rosters proactively with a view to preventing fatigue altogether, reducing the need to schedule days off at what could be inconvenient times. The ideal approach depends on which practices will be most effective within the specific operating environment.
There are four steps facility managers can take, with adequate workforce management technology, to effectively manage fatigue management:
1. Proactive monitoring
Monitor productivity, product quality, client retention and similar statistics. This can identify where fatigue may be an issue. Review existing schedules and patterns, work environments and job responsibilities to ensure you are getting the best from your employees while protecting them from fatigue. For example, are you experiencing quality issues during a period where there is a lot of overtime?
2. Track hours worked
Actively tracking employees’ hours worked and activities performed will ensure adequate rest is being taken between shifts. It will also mean a sufficient number of days off are taken during a specific period of time and help to identify fatigue-inducing jobs or shifts. Tracking hours gives a much richer understanding of the prevalence and depth of employee fatigue.
3. Use risk scoring to manage scheduling
Use an individual’s time and activities, break and shift patterns, and other factors to create a fatigue risk score. Rules can then be assigned to certain risk scores; for example, restricting the type of tasks an employee can undertake until they have rested.
4. Implement programs and policies to minimise fatigue impact
Implement measures to flag potentially fatigued employees before finalising rosters. Software systems can track this data and automatically alert managers when a potentially fatigued employee is scheduled to work. Consider training staff to recognise the signs of fatigue in both themselves and their colleagues.
In summary, fatigue management should be top of mind for employers in any industry, particularly those involving long work hours. Being alert is critical to safety when maintaining facilities and equipment that can harm people if managed incorrectly.
A well-executed fatigue management system, underpinned by workforce management technology, can help improve a business’s bottom line. It improves productivity and raises morale, reduces revenue lost to sick leave, lowers the number of accidents or work mishaps, and decreases the risk of potential fines or litigation.
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The author, Leslie Tarnacki is vice-president and general manager of WFS, a WorkForce Software Company.