84: Using AI at Work to Optimize Workforce Scheduling and Planning with Mohamed Yousuf

Chris Daigle sits down with Mohamed Yousuf, founder of Smart Workforce AI, to explore how AI in the workplace can dramatically improve workforce scheduling, planning, and operational efficiency across industries. Drawing on more than a decade of experience in airlines, healthcare, hospitality, and large scale operations, Mohamed explains how AI powered forecasting and scheduling can reduce overtime, prevent burnout, and help companies put the right people in the right place at the right time. The conversation covers real world AI applications like demand forecasting, seasonal planning, labor law compliance, and intelligent shift swapping, all supported by AI copilots that work alongside human decision makers. This episode is a practical look at how AI productivity tools can turn workforce management from reactive firefighting into a strategic advantage, while keeping human well being at the center of operations. 🔎 Find Out More About Mohamed Yousuf and Smart Workforce AI https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohamed-a-yousuf/ Smart Workforce AI https://smartworkforce.io 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned ChatGPT https://openai.com/chatgpt AI powered workforce forecasting models Large language models for scheduling and planning Internal AI copilots for workforce management 📌 Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Mohamed Yousuf 01:10 From Airline Scheduling to Workforce AI 03:55 Why Workforce Planning Is a Universal Business Problem 05:21 Using AI to Complement Human Decision Making 06:54 Healthcare staffing and burnout challenges 09:16 Forecasting demand using demographic and immigration data 11:23 Hospitality, events, and seasonal workforce planning 12:48 Avoiding panic hiring and panic firing 14:32 Measuring labor cost savings and productivity gains 17:53 Making AI powered scheduling accessible to smaller teams 21:17 Onboarding and system learning timelines 22:56 Handling labor laws and contract complexity with AI 25:19 AI assistants for managers and employees 27:15 Giving employees more control over schedules 29:52 Minimum team size to benefit from AI scheduling 33:16 The future of micro shifts and flexible work 35:29 Pricing and ROI for small and mid sized businesses 39:34 How to get started with Smart Workforce AI