Healthy Shiftwork: Building a Healthier, Safer 24-Hour Workforce

Challenge

More than two million Australians work outside traditional daytime hours, including healthcare workers, emergency responders, transport operators, miners and hospitality staff. For these workers, maintaining good health is rarely as simple as following standard advice about when to sleep, eat or exercise.

Non-standard schedules can disrupt sleep and circadian rhythms, increase fatigue and make it harder to eat well and stay physically active. Over time, these pressures can affect health, wellbeing, safety and performance.

Yet most health information has traditionally been designed for people who work regular daytime hours. Shiftworkers and their employers have lacked clear, practical and evidence-based guidance that reflects the realities of rotating rosters, night work, early starts and irregular schedules. Decades of research existed, but much of it had not been translated into advice that workers could easily understand and apply.

Solution

Healthy Shiftwork was created to fill this gap.

Researchers from CQUniversity’s Appleton Institute developed Australia’s first online, evidence-based resource hub dedicated to the health and wellbeing of shiftworkers. The initiative translates decades of shiftwork research into practical strategies that workers can use across different industries and roster types.

Healthy Shiftwork was developed with input from shiftworkers, workplace health and safety experts, researchers, science communication specialists and creatives. This collaborative approach ensured the resources were not only scientifically credible, but also engaging, accessible and grounded in the realities of working non-standard hours.

The hub provides practical guidance on:

• sleep, circadian rhythms and fatigue
• strategic napping and caffeine use
• nutrition and eating patterns around different shifts
• physical activity, recovery and maintaining physical health
• strategies that can be adapted to different rosters and workplaces
• downloadable infographics, videos, animations and other educational resources.

By turning complex research into clear and usable information, Healthy Shiftwork gives workers practical tools to make informed decisions about their health. It also supports employers through training, resources and tailored workplace solutions designed to strengthen wellbeing, fatigue management, safety and performance.

Impact

Empowering healthier shiftworkers

Healthy Shiftwork gives people working non-standard hours practical, evidence-based guidance they can apply to their own roster, workplace and circumstances. By making research on sleep, nutrition, physical activity, mental health and fatigue easier to understand and use, the initiative helps shiftworkers make informed decisions that support their health, wellbeing and safety.

The resources are also helping prepare the next generation of shiftworkers, with Healthy Shiftwork incorporated into undergraduate nursing and paramedicine education at CQU.

Translating research into practice

Healthy Shiftwork has moved beyond research publications and a standalone website into real-world implementation. Queensland Health has adopted tailored Healthy Shiftwork resources for its workforce, including healthcare-specific infographics and educational animation content.

The NSW Office for the 24-Hour Economy is also working with the research team to adapt Healthy Shiftwork resources for people employed across New South Wales’ diverse 24-hour economy. This includes practical content addressing sleep, nutrition, physical activity and mental health.

These partnerships demonstrate how research developed at CQUniversity can be adapted for large and varied workforces, extending its reach well beyond academia.

Supporting healthier workplaces

Healthy Shiftwork also equips employers and workplace health professionals with evidence-based resources, training and tailored support to address the health, wellbeing and safety challenges associated with non-standard work hours.

The research team has worked with organisations across healthcare, emergency services, policing, transport, resources and other 24-hour industries. This includes collaboration with the Black Dog Institute to inform shiftwork-specific content and case studies for a national sleep education and intervention program for Australian healthcare professionals.