| Name of Speaker | Song-Hee Kim |
| Schedule | 3 October 2024, 10am – 11.30am |
| Venue | HSS 3-2 (Hon Sui Sen Memorial Library, level 3, Seminar Room 2) |
| Link to Register | https://nus-sg.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkfu2vqzovHdT3wuo-DasFqx2x7PnDzw1V |
| Title | To Each Their Own (Shifts): Incorporating Heterogeneous Worker Preferences into Shift Work Schedules |
| Abstract | Shifts are the dominant way to organize work in many contexts requiring 24/7 coverage. While the detriments of shift work are well-documented both at the individual and organizational levels, its deployment is often unavoidable given round-the-clock staffing needs. We explore a potential operational lever-incorporating heterogeneous preferences over shift characteristics, which we refer to as the shift choice system-to mitigate ramifications of shift work on worker well-being and turnover. Leveraging rich and novel survey, shift, and administrative data, we document that inpatient nurses exhibit heterogeneous preferences over shift schedules, driven by both pecuniary and non-pecuniary considerations. We also show that nursing managers largely reflect preferences into scheduled shifts, albeit imperfectly. We find that the shift choice system improves worker well-being, as measured by self-reported fatigue and work-life balance. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we also estimate a 0.58 p.p. decrease in probability of quitting, but only among more experienced nurses. We find these effects are not driven by differences in the degree to which preferences are reflected in scheduled shifts, but rather by corresponding improvements in fatigue and work-life balance that are concentrated among more experienced nurses. We do not find evidence to suggest that the shift choice system affects care quality. Our results indicate that allowing for shift choice is an effective responsible scheduling strategy that can improve worker well-being and reduce turnover for highly experienced nurses. Paper available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=4750664. |
| About the Speaker | Song-Hee Kim is the CS Wind Associate Professor of Operations Management at SNU Business School of Seoul National University in South Korea. Her research focuses on making data-driven and evidence-based decisions within service systems, with an emphasis on problems related to healthcare delivery. She has received several academic awards, including the Best OM Paper in Management Science Award (winner), MSOM Best Paper Award (finalist), and INFORMS Pierskalla Award (finalist). She currently serves as an associate/senior editor for the journals Management Science, Operations Research, Manufacturing & Services Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, Service Science, and Health Care Management Science. She received her BS from Cornell University and her PhD from Columbia University. Prior to joining SNU Business School, she was a postdoctoral associate at the Yale School of Management and an assistant professor at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California. |
