Is a Shorter Healthcare Workday on the Horizon?

A new healthcare initiative might be picking up speed in Sweden. Some Swedish healthcare institutions have started rolling out six-hour work days for their employees. The experiment, which began in February of 2015, is looking to shorten the average workday from eight hours, down to six, hopefully raising employee productivity, health and job satisfaction.

So far, early findings look promising. Lise-Lotte Pettersson (an Assistant Nurse at Svartedalens care home) said, “I used to be exhausted all the time, I would come home from work and pass out on the sofa. But not now. I am much more alert. I have much more energy for my work and also for family life.” in an interview with Swedish newspaper the Guardian.

In the U.S. healthcare industry, long hours are traditionally thought to be a prerequisite for success. Employers and their workers alike are finding that might not exactly be the case. Longer days at work have been shown to actually be counterproductive, as employees might be weary, and unfocused on their tasks.

Market research firm Harris Interactive conducted their third annual Work Stress Survey on behalf of Everest College, polling 1,019 American working professionals. The findings revealed that more than eight out of ten professionals consider themselves “actively stressed” by their jobs.

The International Labor Organization collected data and found that “Americans work 137 more hours per year than Japanese workers, 260 more hours per year than British workers, and whopping 499 more hours per year than French workers.” Shorter workdays could be a welcome sight for employees constantly grappling with fatigue.

Keep in mind, fewer hours don’t necessarily mean less gets accomplished or that the quality of work will suffer. Many Nurses said the care they give has actually improved and that they’re happier while they work. The real issue is managing the efforts of healthcare professionals on the clock, since shorter shifts will drastically reduce margins for error in the workplace.

Actsoft understands the importance of effective workforce management, especially with shorter work days potentially on the table. Workforce management and timekeeping technologies can operate in tandem, encouraging the most productivity possible from employees spending less time on the clock.

Comet Tracker can increase efficiency by streamlining several processes. For instance, the software lets nurses and other healthcare practitioners clock in and out on-the-go from mobile devices, freeing up more time for them to tend to patients.  All of the logged timekeeping information is then transmitted to managers, so they can monitor employee habits and patterns to better allocate tasks during a shorter workday.

With Comet Tracker software, healthcare supervisors can instantly see where nurses are, what they’re working on and gauge their availability for the next assignment. Advanced Wireless Forms can also help keep patient files and other sensitive information organized and available at all times.

Shorter working hours won’t be a magic pill for the Healthcare Industry. Deadlines will be tighter, and employees will become more accountable for what they do while they’re clocked in. Actsoft technology can help save time between tasks while letting supervisors manage a mobile workforce.