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Why Most Shift Workers Never Get Taught How to Do Shift Work Properly | Shift Work Champions

Description

In this week's Australia Overnight on 3AW with Tony McManus, Roger Sutherland discusses one of the biggest problems facing shift workers around the world.

Despite one in five people working outside normal business hours, most shift workers receive little or no education on how to manage sleep, fatigue, nutrition, recovery and long-term health.

Roger introduces his new Shift Work Champions™ program, a workplace model designed to provide ongoing support for shift workers long after the initial training session has finished. Rather than delivering a presentation and leaving, Shift Work Champions creates trained peer leaders within organisations who can support their colleagues in real time on shift.

The conversation also explores:

• Why shift work should be treated as a workplace fatigue risk
• The hidden biological cost of working nights
• Why "every night shift adds another line to the invoice"
• The social and family impact of shift work
• Why many night shift workers actually enjoy nights more than days
• Biphasic sleep and whether sleeping in two blocks is normal
• Practical sleep strategies including darkness, temperature and stress management
• Why workplaces need better education instead of expecting workers to simply figure it out themselves
• The growing need for organisations to better support their 24/7 workforce.
If you're a nurse, police officer, firefighter, paramedic, dispatcher, corrections officer, truck driver, train driver, miner, healthcare worker or anyone working rotating shifts or permanent night shift, this episode will help you better understand what shift work is really doing to your body and why simple, evidence-based strategies can make a significant difference.

If you're an employer with a 24/7 workforce, you'll also hear why education alone isn't enough and why ongoing support is becoming critical for reducing fatigue risk, improving wellbeing and helping retain experienced staff.

To learn more about Shift Work Champions or Roger's workplace education programs, follow the links below

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast, leave a review and share it with another shift worker. It might be exactly what they need to hear today.

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Roger Sutherland is Australia's Night Shift & Sleep Specialist and the founder of A Healthy Shift.

After more than 40 years working rotating shifts with Victoria Police, Roger now helps organisations reduce fatigue risk, improve staff wellbeing and build healthier, safer and higher-performing 24/7 workplaces through evidence-based education, circadian biology and the Shift Work Champions™ Framework.

Shift Work Champions™: https://join.ahealthyshift.com/shift-work-capability

Website: https://ahealthyshift.com.au

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-sutherland

Instagram: @a_healthy_shift

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Disclaimer: Roger Sutherland is not a doctor or a medical professional.  Always consult a physician before implementing any strategies mentioned in this podcast. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Roger Sutherland will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of the information contained in this podcast, including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness, or death.

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