A Holistic Model for Ergonomic and Sustainable Personnel Scheduling in Urban Transportation

Abstract

Personnel scheduling plays a pivotal role in numerous industries, impacting productivity, job satisfaction, and employee welfare. However, conventional scheduling approaches often neglect ergonomic and sustainability considerations, overlooking their influence on workforce health and environmental impact. This study presents a novel goal programming framework for optimizing personnel scheduling in urban transportation systems, integrating ergonomic risk assessments (REBA method) and sustainability metrics (aligned with SDGs). This model is validated through a case study of an urban transportation company with 140 employees working in a three-shift system. The results demonstrate a 44% reduction in high-risk task assignments, a 45.1% improvement in sustainability balance, and a 37.7% increase in employee satisfaction. This study offers theoretical contributions by expanding scheduling research to include multi-objective workforce optimization and practical implications by providing a decision-support tool for transportation agencies and workforce managers. Future research can explore real-time scheduling adaptations and AI-based predictive workforce planning.