[264] - Why Your Workplace Needs Shift Work Health Education in 2025

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Shift Work Doesn’t Have to Wreck Your Health – Here’s How to Thrive

In this episode, I talk about why shift work doesn't have to come at the cost of your health and wellbeing—and why it’s time organisations stop treating shift workers like machines.

I'm Roger Sutherland, and I’ve made it my mission to educate shift workers on how to take control of their health using simple, evidence-based strategies. Through my seminars and coaching, I help workers not just survive their rosters—but actually thrive.

Here’s what I share in this conversation:

• Why most organisations place people into 24/7 rosters without offering any real education on how to manage their health
• How employers focus on KPIs and operational targets, while overlooking their most valuable asset—their people
• What I teach in my seminars, including circadian rhythm alignment, fatigue management, and the five pillars of shift work health
• The specific hormonal challenges female shift workers face, and how to support them properly
• How companies that invest in shift work education are seeing reduced sick leave, improved retention, and fewer incidents
• Why simple and realistic movement strategies are more effective than complicated gym routines for shift workers
• The real-world impact these strategies are having in places like Queensland Police and major pharmaceutical companies

If you’re a shift worker—or responsible for the wellbeing of one—this episode will show you what’s possible when the right education is in place.

👉 Get your free seminar info pack at ahealthyshift.com, or reach out to me on LinkedIn or Instagram @a_healthy_shift.

Shift work doesn’t have to destroy your health—not when you know what to do.

Support the show

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ANNOUNCING

"The Shift Workers Collective"

https://join.ahealthyshift.com/the-shift-workers-collective

Click the link to learn all about it
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YOU CAN FIND ME AT

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

• Shift Work Health and Wellbeing Seminars
• One2One Coaching

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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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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Shift work can be brutal, but it doesn't have to
be.
Welcome to a healthy shift.
My name is Roger Sutherland,certified nutritionist, veteran
law enforcement officer and 24-7shift worker for almost four
decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers, using
evidence-based methods, to notonly survive the rigours of

(00:28):
shift work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and wellbeing so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show and welcomeback to A Healthy Shift.
The podcast.
That's all about helping you,the shift worker, to not just

(00:51):
survive but to absolutely thrive.
I'm your host, roger Sutherland,and today I want to speak
directly to you about somethingthat's been building for years
and it's time that we finallycall it out.
It is 2025, and we've reachedthe point where we just are

(01:12):
slotting humans into 24-7rosters and we're expecting them
to cope.
So many industries that werenot 24-7 have slowly expanded
into a 24-7 environment and allthey're doing is just pushing
humans into that time to fillspots, to make sure that there

(01:33):
is a bum on a seat, givingabsolutely no thought at all to
the health and well-being.
Now in business, we aremanaging assets, we log
performance, we build rostersaround operational needs.
We monitor KPIs, but here's thething we're still not educating

(01:54):
shift workers on how to livewell while working around the
clock.
It's mind-blowing when youreally think about it, did you?
When you started shift work?
How much education did youactually get from your employer?
Were you handed a pamphlet?
Is there something that's putup on your health and wellbeing
notice board every now and again?

(02:14):
Have you had lectures?
Do you remember them?
How often have you had them?
We are running multi-milliondollar operations where the most
critical asset in it, which isyou, the shift worker, are being
left to actually figure it outfor themselves.

(02:35):
And you're tired and you'regetting sick and you are doing
overtime because people areleaving.
And you are doing overtimebecause people are leaving.
And I'm here to say this thathas to change and this is why my
seminars are actually needed.
These seminars are not bullshit, they're not a motivational

(02:57):
speech.
They're actually real.
They're practical,science-backed education
delivered by myself, who's livedand breathed shift work for
over 40 years.
In these seminars, I actuallywalk your team through circadian
rhythms and why poor alignmentis wrecking their health, and

(03:19):
how you actually self-sabotage,actually self-sabotage.
I talk about my five pillars ofshift work health and how you
can take steps in the rightdirection every single day, of
every one of those five pillars.
And, just like a building, whenyou actually get the pillars
right, the building holds upproperly and that's the same

(03:39):
with you that when the shit hitsthe fan and it gets to a
difficult stage, those pillarswill stand you up.
I talk about the truth, aboutfatigue, and one topic that I
really get a lot of engagementin is the impact that shift work
has on female health and theirhormones.
Now, I know that the guys willscoff and poo-poo this, but I

(04:03):
can tell you females do shiftwork a lot harder than males do,
and I'm targeting females tosupport females in the shift
working environment, to try andoptimize it for them.
I come up with and I have gotsimple, doable movement

(04:25):
strategies.
This is not about kitting upand going to the gym and lifting
heavy weights and squatting andbench pressing and deadlifting.
This is about finding simpleand doable things that you can
actually do.
But here's the kicker for you.
This is not just for nightshift workers.
Your day staff, your daywalkers, your leaders, your work

(04:46):
health safety managers they'llall benefit from this as well,
because shift work impacts thewhole system.
And what are my seminarsactually achieving?
Because when workplaces bringme in, this is what they're
actually seeing A reduction inunplanned leave, better staff
retention, fewer fatigue-relatedaccidents, improved morale and

(05:10):
engagement, and they getstronger productivity.
But the best of all and this isthe thing your people feel seen
, they feel understood and theyfinally get the why and the how
of managing shift work forthemselves as well.
Because when they and yourstaff and you are actually

(05:37):
optimizing your shift workinglife, you have more energy to do
the things that you actuallywant to do outside of work.
How many of you just don't havetime to do anything and that
you actually want to do outsideof work?
How many of you just don't havetime to do anything?
And you're getting more andmore and more isolated and it's
impacting on your mental healthbecause you're so tired, you're
doing overtime, it's causingproblems.
We have to stem the hemorrhagingof staff somehow, and I'm here

(06:01):
for it.
So how do you get me to yourworkplace?
So, if you're sitting there andyou're thinking, my team, we
need this, here's how it worksyou get me into your workplace
for a paid seminar.
You get me to come to you toeducate your team and if you're
the one that made it happen,here's my undertaking to you If

(06:23):
you download my e-book and youactually put the report in and
send it up the line and it endsup happening, I will personally
coach you for eight weeks freeof charge.
That's right One-on-onepersonalized support from me
just for stepping up and beingthe leader and the change maker

(06:46):
in your workplace.
This will not only help yourteam, but it will also help you.
It's a total and utter win-winfor everyone.
Now I've been doing theseseminars for Queensland Police.
I've also been doing theseminars for Queensland Youth
Justice and I've done it for thefourth largest pharmaceutical

(07:08):
company in the world, and theyare benefiting enormously.
I revisited there again lastweek to go down and speak to
more of their team around shiftwork and I was called back after
just eight months to educatethe next lot of people.
This company is on the frontfoot and they are going to

(07:32):
become world leaders in shiftwork education.
And what do you think theonflow of that is going to be
for their KPIs?
Their unplanned leave, thehealth of their staff, the
turnover of their staff, theaccidents All of that is going
to improve because they'regetting on the front foot and

(07:55):
they are investing in theirstaff to do it, and this is what
needs to happen.
So if you're ready to do morethan literally just fill a
roster and just be a number andjust sit there in the mess room
or the tea room and complainwith all of your colleagues,
then you deserve what you get.
But if you want to actuallysupport your shift working team

(08:19):
with real education that changeslives, let's talk.
So the best thing that you cando is go to ahealthyshiftcom and
at the top of that is a linkseminars, or you can go to the
link in the show notes.
Message me directly on LinkedInor on Instagram at a underscore

(08:42):
healthy, underscore shift, andI will send you the free seminar
info pack, which is my seminarbrochure that you can attach to
your application and send it upthe line.
Let's stop treating shiftworkers like robots, because
they're not.
Let's give them the tools thatthey need to stay well, to stay

(09:04):
sharp and, more importantly, tojust stay in the job, because
shift work doesn't have todestroy your health, not when
you know what to do.
So thanks for listening and, asalways, here's to a healthy
shift.
Make it happen.
I'm excited.
I really want to come to yourworkplace and educate your team.

(09:25):
I'll see you there.
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
It would also be ever sohelpful if you could leave a
rating and review on the appyou're currently listening on.

(09:47):
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshiftcom.
I'll catch you on the next one.