In response to the NHS burnout crisis in EMEA, leading doctors and nurses are set to strike for their demands or walk away from the profession. Leslie Tarnacki, CHRO at WorkForce Software, emphasises the complex contributors to burnout in the healthcare sector. Beyond the widely recognised demand for increased pay, she highlights scheduling issues as a significant factor.
Tarnacki advocates for the adoption of modern workforce management (MWFM) technologies to monitor and address burnout risks with these essential deskless professionals. She explains the immediate benefits MWFM offers like the ability to track hours worked, breaks taken and scheduled time off, providing real-time notifications to HR teams.
Tarnacki underscores the importance of scheduling flexibility and work-life balance, advocating for smart scheduling technology that considers individual preferences, allowing frontline workers to plan their free time effectively. She notes that while seemingly basic, this approach addresses a common challenge faced by many frontline workers, contributing to improved employee experiences and overall well-being.
“Flexibility and improved work-life balance are at the core of solving this issue. Greater flexibility for frontline workers is easily enabled with smart scheduling technology – which can consider requested start/end times to match personal schedules and give staff foresight of their schedule, so they can plan for their free time,” Tarnacki says.
She continues, “This may seem basic, but it’s a challenge that many frontline workers still face – 55% of employees globally get their schedule at most one week in advance and still, 39% of them are not allowed to swap shifts.”