Mater Health Services uses technology to aid flexible working

Queensland-based Mater Health Services is using workforce management technology to efficiently create rosters for its clinical staff, 85 per cent of whom work part time.

Mater Health Services’ people and learning executive director, Caroline Hudson, told CIO Australia that prior to the rollout in 2010 it had used spreadsheets to organise rostering.

“Rosters tend to be created on a fortnightly basis and staff were finding it hard to keep track of their hours. Commitments outside work become very hard to juggle if there is little or no certainty.”

The health provider uses Kronos workforce management tools which alert clinician staff of rostering timetables and changes via their mobile phones or tablets.

“We’ve seen an improvement in our ability to offer flexible working options through automation of critical processes,” she said.

“We’ve also put protocols in place to allow people to work from home part time.”

Hudson said the health organisation is now planning to implement a skills based rostering solution to ensure that the right number of staff, such as doctors and midwives, are assigned to work at the same time.

“This tool will allow us to see who is available and wants to work those particular shifts. We can also assign people from another one of our hospitals.”

The tool can also be used by staff to indicate preferred shifts using their mobile device.

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