Work monitoring system and program

Abstract

To enable mitigation of anxiety when employees are working on a task that makes the employees anxious so as to allow the employees to work with peace of mind.SOLUTION: A work monitoring system comprises an acquisition unit and a control unit. The acquisition unit acquires vital information detected from a user. The control unit is capable of setting a monitoring mode to monitor the user while performing a given task and, when it is determined that the user is in an unusual condition from the vital information while setting in the monitoring mode, outputs suggestion information for suggesting the user to perform a notification process to a predetermined notification destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a business monitoring system and a program therefor that monitors the business of employees of a company or the like and makes suggestions as needed. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, customer harassment, where customers make unreasonable complaints or verbal or physical actions against companies, has become a social issue. In particular, there has been an increase in cases of employees working in jobs that involve visiting customers, such as visiting nurses, who are worried about customer harassment, making safety management, including the mental health of their employees, a challenge for companies.

[0003] In relation to such problems, a method for managing the mental health of employees is known in which the mental health of employees is assessed through a questionnaire (see Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-42546 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not manage the mental health of employees in real time, and therefore cannot improve the anxious mental state that employees currently experience during home nursing visits, etc.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is to provide a work monitoring system and program that can alleviate the anxiety of employees when they are working on tasks that make them anxious, allowing them to work with peace of mind. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above object, a business monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an acquisition unit and a control unit. The acquisition unit acquires vital sign information detected from a user. The control unit can set a monitoring mode to monitor the user while the user is performing a predetermined business task. If the control unit determines that the user is in an abnormal state based on the vital sign information while the monitoring mode is set, the control unit outputs suggestion information to the user that a notification process be executed to a predetermined notification destination.

[0008] With this configuration, the work monitoring system sets the monitoring mode when the user (employee) is working on a task that makes them anxious, and if it determines that the employee's vital signs are abnormal, it proposes to notify a predetermined notification destination, thereby easing the employee's anxiety and allowing them to work with peace of mind. Here, the predetermined work task refers to a task that may make some employees anxious, such as visiting customers (private homes or businesses) for home care or insurance sales, meetings such as conferences, or working at a construction site. The predetermined notification destination may be, for example, a supervisor or colleague in the employee's organization who is set up in advance for emergency notifications, or an external agency such as the fire department or police, but is not limited to these.

[0009] The business monitoring system may further include an operation unit configured to receive a notification operation from the user in response to the proposal information, and the control unit may execute the notification process upon receiving the notification operation from the user in response to the proposal information.

[0010] With this configuration, if an employee feels uneasy about their work, they can execute notification processing simply by performing a notification operation on the output proposal information, thereby improving convenience for employees.

[0011] The control unit may receive the watching mode setting operation from the user at the start of the predetermined work task.

[0012] With this configuration, by always accepting the operation to set the monitoring mode when starting a predetermined work task, it is possible to prevent forgetting to set the monitoring mode.

[0013] The control unit may set a task-responsive mode when the predetermined work task is started, and set the monitoring mode when an operation by the user is received while the task-responsive mode is set. In this case, the control unit may output the proposal information when it determines that the abnormal state is present while the monitoring mode is set.

[0014] With this configuration, if an employee feels anxious while performing a specified work task, they can set the monitoring mode themselves and enable notification processing, thereby improving convenience for the employee, and if the monitoring mode is not set even during the specified work task, there is no need to output unnecessary suggested information.

[0015] If the monitoring mode is set when the specified work task is being performed, the control unit may determine that the vital information satisfies a first condition to indicate the abnormal state, and if the monitoring mode is not set when the specified work task is being performed, the control unit may determine that the vital information satisfies a second condition that is stricter than the first condition to indicate the abnormal state and output the suggested information.

[0016] With this configuration, the likelihood of the proposed information being output can be varied depending on whether or not the monitoring mode is set during the execution of a specific business task, thereby making the proposal process more efficient.

[0017] The control unit may vary the conditions for determining that the user is in an abnormal state from the vital information detected while the monitoring mode is set, depending on the vital information of the user detected before the monitoring mode is set.

[0018] With this configuration, when the employee has not been in a normal state before the start of the work task, it becomes easier to suggest a notification process than when this is not the case.

[0019] The control unit may accept an input operation of the degree of anxiety from the user at the start of the specified work task, and may vary the conditions for determining that the state is abnormal from the vital information detected while the monitoring mode is set depending on the input degree of anxiety.

[0020] This configuration makes it easier to suggest notification processing when the employee feels anxious at the start of a work task than when the employee does not.

[0021] The business monitoring system may include a wearable device worn by the user and a mobile device carried by the user. In this case, the wearable device includes a sensor unit that detects the user's vital signs, a notification unit that notifies the user of the suggested information, and an operation unit that accepts a notification operation by the user in response to the suggested information. The mobile device also includes an acquisition unit that acquires vital information from the wearable device, which is a result of the detection of the vital signs, and a control unit that, when the monitoring mode is set and it is determined that the user is in the abnormal state, transmits an instruction signal to the wearable device to notify the suggested information. When the operation unit accepts the notification operation in response to the suggested information notified by the notification unit, the mobile device executes the notification process to the predetermined notification destination.

[0022] With this configuration, the suggested information is notified to the user from the wearable device, allowing the employee to quickly check the suggested information and issue an emergency notification even in an anxious situation.

[0023] A program according to another aspect of the present invention is a program for executing the following on a computer: acquiring detected vital information from a user; During the setting of a monitoring mode for monitoring the user, which can be set when the user is performing a specified work task, if it is determined from the vital information that the user is in an abnormal state, the system executes a step of outputting suggested information suggesting to the user that a notification process be performed to a specified notification destination. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] As described above, according to the present invention, when an employee is engaged in work that makes him or her anxious, the employee's anxiety can be alleviated and the employee can continue to work with peace of mind. However, this effect does not limit the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a business monitoring system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configurations of the wearable terminal and the smartphone of the business monitoring system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a business mode set in the business monitoring system. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of an emergency notification proposal process of the business monitoring system. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of transitions of application screens of a wearable device in response to switching of business modes in the business monitoring system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0027] First Embodiment First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0028] [System Configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a business monitoring system according to this embodiment.

[0029] The business monitoring system provides a service in which a supervisor or other person monitors the business status of employees of a company or other organization (such as a government agency, school, or other corporation).

[0030] As shown in the figure, the business monitoring system includes a wearable device 100, smartphones 200 and 300, and a server 400. Instead of the smartphones 200 and 300, other portable devices such as mobile phones and tablet computers may be used.

[0031] The wearable device 100 is a device that can be worn on a part of the body (such as the arm) of a user (employee) and that can measure the employee's vital data (such as heart rate and body temperature), and is, for example, a smart watch, wristband, smart ring, or smart glasses. The wearable device 100 is used by the user to record work history and switch work modes while working, and is also used to send (or call) an emergency notification (SOS) to a supervisor, colleague, or other watcher in the employee's organization who has been set as a designated notification destination if the employee feels uneasy while working. Note that external agencies such as the fire department or police may also be designated as designated notification destinations.

[0032] The smartphone 200 is carried by the employee and paired with the wearable device 100 via wireless communication such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). The smartphone 300 is carried by a watcher such as the employee's supervisor and is used by the watcher to view various information related to the watch service, such as information showing the employee's work status. The smartphones 200 and 300 can be connected to a network 50 such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 3G, or Wi-Fi.

[0033] Applications (hereinafter also referred to as "business applications") that support input and output of various information related to the business monitoring service are installed on the wearable terminal 100 and the smartphones 200 and 300. Of these, the business application on the smartphone 300 is configured to be able to respond to an emergency notification when it is received from the wearable terminal 100 of an employee.

[0034] The server 400 is installed in a monitoring center or the like operated by a business operator that provides business monitoring services. The server 400 is connected to the smartphones 200 and 300 via a network 50 such as the Internet. The server 400 mediates the exchange of information between the smartphones 200 and 300 via business applications, and stores various types of history information recorded on the business applications in the wearable device 100 and the smartphones 200 and 300.

[0035] [Wearable device and smartphone configuration] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the wearable terminal 100 and the smartphone 200. As shown in FIG.

[0036] As shown in the figure, the wearable terminal 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an input / output interface 15, and a bus 14 that interconnects these components.

[0037] The CPU 11 is a control unit that accesses the RAM 13 and the like as needed, and performs various arithmetic processing while controlling all of the blocks of the wearable device 100. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory that permanently stores firmware such as the OS, programs, and various parameters to be executed by the CPU 11. The RAM 13 is used as a working area for the CPU 11, and temporarily stores the OS, various applications currently being executed, and various data currently being processed.

[0038] The input / output interface 15 is connected to a display unit 16, an operation reception unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, a sensor unit 20, and the like.

[0039] The display unit 16 is a display device (built-in display) that uses, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OLED (Organic ElectroLuminescence Display), or the like.

[0040] The display unit 16 also functions as a notification unit that suggests making an emergency notification when the user is in an anxious situation and it is determined that the user is not in a normal state based on the vital signs detected by the sensor unit 20. The notification unit may alternatively be a vibration unit that vibrates with a vibration pattern that suggests making an emergency notification, or a voice output unit that outputs a voice that prompts the user to make an emergency notification.

[0041] The operation reception unit 17 is, for example, a touch panel, buttons, keys, or other input devices. When the operation reception unit 17 is a touch panel, the touch panel can be integrated with the display unit 16. More specifically, the operation reception unit 17 has operation buttons (GUI or physical buttons) that allow the user to perform operations such as starting work or starting a predetermined work task, inputting the user's anxiety level (feelings), and issuing emergency notifications.

[0042] The storage unit 18 is, for example, a flash memory (SSD; Solid State Drive) or other solid-state memory, or a non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The storage unit 18 stores the OS, various applications, programs such as the business applications, and various other data.

[0043] The communication unit 19 is a module for wireless communication such as BLE, and is responsible for communication processing with the smartphone 200.

[0044] The sensor unit 20 is a vital sensor for observing the user's psychological stress and state of tension. For example, it is a vital sensor that measures heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, sweat rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), and blood carbon dioxide concentration (PaCO2). It is known that when the user's level of tension increases, an increase in heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, sweat rate, respiratory rate, SpO2, and PaCO2 are observed, and the sensor unit 20 measures these vital data. The vital sensor is not limited to one type, and a combination of multiple types may be used.

[0045] Although not shown, the wearable device 100 also has a recording unit (microphone) that records surrounding sounds. Recording is performed only when the user feels anxious while performing a specific work task. The recorded data is organized by work task and stored in the server 400 or the like.

[0046] Additionally, the wearable terminal 100 may have a positioning unit including a GPS (Global Positioning System) or GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver that measures its position.

[0047] The smartphone 200 has a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a bus 24, an input / output interface 25, a display unit 26, an operation reception unit 27, a memory unit 28, and a communication unit 29, and its hardware configuration is generally similar to that of the wearable terminal 100 described above, but differs in the following respects.

[0048] The smartphone 200 does not need to be provided with the sensor unit 20. In addition, as a communication unit of the smartphone 200, in addition to a wireless communication module such as BLE that handles communication with the wearable terminal 100, a wireless communication module such as LTE, 3G, or Wi-Fi that handles communication with the server 400 may also be provided.

[0049] The CPU 21 of the smartphone 200 functions as a determination unit that acquires vital data measured by the wearable device 100 and determines whether the user is in an abnormal state based on the acquired vital data. This abnormal state is a state in which an abnormality appears in the user's body due to increased psychological stress or tension.

[0050] The determination unit determines that the user is in an abnormal state, with increased psychological stress or tension, when the vital data exceeds a predetermined reference value, for example, when the heart rate exceeds 100 beats per minute, the body temperature exceeds 37.2°C, or the blood pressure exceeds 130 mmHg. Note that the determination threshold may be different for each user, since normal heart rates and normal body temperatures vary depending on the user and their age. Furthermore, the determination unit may observe changes from the normal state, and determine that the user is in an abnormal state when the rate or amount of increase in the vital data exceeds a reference value. Furthermore, the determination unit may determine that the user is in an abnormal state when multiple types of vital data exceed their reference values.

[0051] The determination unit may also calculate an evaluation value of the user's stress level from one or more types of vital data, and determine that the user is in an abnormal state if the calculated evaluation value exceeds a reference value. A known technique can be used to evaluate the stress level (see, for example, JP 2024-41678 A, etc.).

[0052] The display unit 26 can function as a notification unit similar to the display unit 16 of the wearable terminal 100 described above.

[0053] The storage unit 28 stores information indicating the business mode set in the business monitoring system in addition to the above programs, etc. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the business mode set in the business monitoring system.

[0054] As shown in the figure, the wearable terminal 100 and the smartphone 200 can be set to one of three modes, namely, a normal work mode, a task-based mode, and a monitoring mode, by switching between them while the user is at work.

[0055] The normal work mode is a mode that is set when an employee is working, and is set when the employee starts working and is turned off when the employee finishes working. The normal work mode can be switched to the task-responsive mode by the employee's operation.

[0056] At the start and end of work, employees input the level of anxiety (feelings) that best suits them at that time by selecting from multiple levels, such as three levels of "relieved (good), normal, anxious (bad)." Furthermore, in this normal work mode, employees can operate the emergency notification or telephone.

[0057] The task response mode is a mode that is set by transitioning from the normal work mode through user operation when starting a specific work task that may cause anxiety to some employees, such as visiting customers (homes or businesses) for home care or insurance sales, meetings such as conferences, or work at construction sites. When the work task is completed, the user can return to the normal work mode through user operation. The task response mode can also be switched to monitoring mode through employee operation.

[0058] At the start and end of a work task, the employee inputs their current level of anxiety (feelings), just as in the normal work mode. Even in the task response mode, the employee can also make emergency notifications or make phone calls.

[0059] The monitoring mode is a mode that is set by transitioning from the task response mode by an operation of the employee when the employee feels anxiety or fear while performing the predetermined work task (while the task response mode is set). The monitoring mode can be switched to the task response mode by an operation of the employee. The monitoring mode can be set from the task response mode when the predetermined work task starts or while the predetermined work task is being performed.

[0060] When the monitoring mode is set, recording is performed. Also, when the monitoring mode is set, if it is determined that the employee is in an abnormal state based on the vital signs, suggestion information is generated to suggest to the employee that an emergency notification be made to the outside, and is displayed on the display unit 16, for example.

[0061] The wearable terminal 100 may have the same functions as the smartphone 200.

[0062] Although not shown, the memory unit of the server 400 stores, as work history information, information on the anxiety level (feelings) input into the wearable device 100 by the employee's operation, work mode setting history information, recording information in the monitoring mode, history information on vital values ​​detected by the sensor unit 20, etc. The stored work history information can be referenced from the smartphone 300 or another manager's terminal, which enables mental health management and work management of each employee.

[0063] [Business monitoring system operation] Next, the operation of the business monitoring system configured as above will be described. The operation is performed by cooperation between hardware such as CPU 11 and communication unit 19 of wearable terminal 100 and CPU 21 and communication unit 29 of smartphone 200, and software (business application) stored in storage units 18 and 28. For convenience, in the following description, CPU 11 of wearable terminal 100, CPU 21 of smartphone 200, etc. are considered to be the main operating components.

[0064] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the emergency notification proposal process of the business monitoring system.

[0065] As shown in the figure, first, the CPU 21 of the smartphone 200 acquires the vital sign values ​​detected by the sensor unit 20 from the wearable terminal 100 (step 41).

[0066] Next, the CPU 21 determines whether the worker is in an abnormal state based on the vital sign value (step 42). Specifically, for example, if the vital sign is heart rate, the worker is determined to be in an abnormal state if the heart rate is, for example, 100 beats per minute or higher.

[0067] When it is determined that the employee is in an abnormal state (Yes in step 42), the CPU 21 determines whether the employee has a high level of anxiety (step 43). Specifically, in this embodiment, the CPU 21 refers to the storage unit 28 and determines whether the current work mode has been set to the monitoring mode by the employee's operation.

[0068] If it is determined that the current business mode is set to the monitoring mode (Yes in step 43), the CPU 21 transmits an instruction signal to the wearable terminal 100 to instruct it to display suggested information for an emergency notification, and in response, the CPU 11 of the wearable terminal 100 generates suggested information for an emergency notification and displays it on the display unit 16 (step 44). As will be described later, the suggested information includes a button for sending an emergency notification, etc.

[0069] Next, the CPU 11 determines whether or not an emergency notification transmission operation has been input by the employee in response to the displayed proposal information (step 45).

[0070] If it is determined that an operation to send an emergency notification has been input (Yes in step 45), the CPU 11 sends a request to send an emergency notification to the smartphone 200, and in response, the CPU 21 of the smartphone 200 sends the emergency notification to a specified emergency contact such as the boss's smartphone 300 (step 46).

[0071] The above-described emergency notification proposal process will be described in detail below, including its relationship with the business mode switching process. Figure 5 shows an example of transition of the business application screen of the wearable device 100 in response to switching of the business mode in the business monitoring system. This figure illustrates an example in which a customer visit is performed as the predetermined business task.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 2A, when an employee starts a business app at the start of work, he or she taps the work start button 51 to set the normal business mode. At this time, as shown in Fig. 2B, a screen is displayed that allows the employee to select an icon corresponding to the employee's anxiety level (feelings), for example, three levels of "easy, normal, anxious" (smiling face icon: easy / expressionless icon: normal / sad face icon: anxious), and when the employee selects one of the icons and taps the decision button 52, the corresponding anxiety level information is sent to the smartphone 200.

[0073] When the normal business mode is set, the screen shown in FIG. 10(C) is displayed, and when the customer visit button 53 as a business task start button is tapped on the screen, the business application switches from normal work mode to task response mode.

[0074] As shown in Figure 1(D), when the task mode is set (when a work task is started), a screen is displayed that allows the employee to select the level of anxiety (feelings). The figure shows an example in which "anxiety" is selected as the level of anxiety.

[0075] When the anxiety level is selected, a screen is displayed asking the employee whether or not to set the monitoring mode, as shown in FIG. 1(E). When the employee taps the monitoring mode setting button 55 on the screen, the business application transitions from task response mode to monitoring mode. Note that if the selected anxiety level is high (e.g., "anxious" is selected), the monitoring mode may be set automatically.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 11(I), while the monitoring mode is set, a recording process of the surrounding sounds is executed, and a message to that effect is displayed on the screen, along with a monitoring mode end button 59 for ending the monitoring mode.

[0077] If, while in monitoring mode, it is determined that the employee is not in a normal state based on the vital signs (for example, if the heart rate is 100 beats per minute or higher), an emergency notification suggestion screen is displayed, informing the employee that their heart rate is high and suggesting that an emergency notification be sent, as shown in Figure 1(J). This screen displays a normal button 60 for inputting that there is no problem (the employee is normal), and an emergency notification button 61 for sending an emergency notification.

[0078] Here, when the employee taps emergency notification button 61 (for example, when the employee is subjected to customer harassment at a visiting location and feels fear), a notification process is executed in which an emergency notification transmission request is sent to smartphone 200 and the emergency notification is sent from smartphone 200 to an emergency contact such as a supervisor. On smartphone 300 that has received the emergency notification, the supervisor can check the status of the work task currently being performed by the employee (by playing back recorded data, playing back real-time audio acquired by smartphone 200, etc.), check the visiting location information, etc., thereby understanding the current situation of the employee and taking action according to the understood current situation (by calling the employee, requesting a security guard to take action, etc.). In other words, the emergency notification in the present invention is not limited to notification that an emergency has occurred, but also includes notifying a supervisor or other watcher (requesting watch) of a situation in which the employee is feeling anxiety or fear while working, even if it does not rise to the level of an emergency, and sharing the situation.

[0079] If the normal button 60 is tapped, no emergency notification is sent and the monitoring mode continues. Note that if the employee does not operate either the normal button 60 or the emergency notification button 61 for a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds, 1 minute, etc.) after the emergency notification proposal screen is displayed, it is possible that the employee is in such a state of anxiety (feeling fear, etc.) that they are unable to operate the buttons. In such a case, the business application may send an emergency notification request to the smartphone 200.

[0080] If the employee taps the end monitoring mode button 59 while the monitoring mode is set (for example, if the employee's anxiety is resolved), the business application will transition from monitoring mode to task-responsive mode, as shown in the same figure (F).

[0081] When the customer visit end button 57 is tapped as a work task end button while the task response mode is set, the employee's anxiety level (feelings) at that time is input as shown in FIG. 1(G), and then the business application returns from task response mode to normal work mode as shown in FIG. 1(C). When the work task ends, the business application also ends the process of generating emergency notification proposal information. Note that input of the anxiety level (feelings) at the end of the work task may be omitted. Alternatively, the work task end button may be displayed in the monitoring mode, and the monitoring mode may be switched to normal work mode without going through the task response mode.

[0082] When the end of work button 54 is tapped in the normal work mode ((C) of the same figure), the employee's anxiety level (feelings) at that time is input as shown in (H) of the same figure, and the work application ends processing.

[0083] Furthermore, whether the normal business mode, task response mode, or monitoring mode is set, as shown in the same figure (K), the employee can manually (for example, by sliding the bottom of the screen horizontally) transition to the emergency contact screen, and then use the phone button 62 and emergency notification button 63 to make a call or issue an emergency notification to a specified notification destination.

[0084] As described above, according to this embodiment, the work monitoring system sets the monitoring mode when the user (employee) is working on a task that makes them anxious, proposes an emergency notification when it determines that the employee is in an abnormal state based on the employee's vital signs, and if an emergency notification is made, the current situation of the employee can be shared with a supervisor, etc. This embodiment makes it easier for employees to make an emergency notification to a supervisor, etc. in anxious situations, thereby easing the employee's anxiety and allowing them to work with peace of mind.

[0085] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the same configurations or functions as those in the first embodiment will not be described.

[0086] In the first embodiment described above, the smartphone 200 determines whether or not to propose an emergency notification while the monitoring mode is set. In the present embodiment, instead of the monitoring mode, the smartphone 200 determines whether or not to propose an emergency notification using the degree of anxiety (feelings) input by the employee when performing a predetermined work task.

[0087] That is, the CPU 21 of the smartphone 200 accepts an input operation of the anxiety level from the user at the start of the specified work task, and generates the emergency notification suggestion information according to the user's condition determined from the vital signs and the input anxiety level during the execution of the work task.

[0088] More specifically, if the input anxiety level (feeling) is "relieved (good)", "normal", or "anxious (bad)", the CPU 21 turns off the function to generate suggested information (corresponding to the task response mode in the first embodiment described above), and if it is "anxious (bad)", the CPU 21 turns on the function to generate suggested information (corresponding to the monitoring mode in the first embodiment described above).

[0089] In this case, in step 43 of Figure 4 above, regarding whether the user's anxiety level is high, if the employee's anxiety level (feelings) input at the start of the specified work task (via the screen of Figure 5(D)) is "relieved (good)" or "normal", it is determined that the anxiety level is not high (No in step 43), and if the anxiety level (feelings) is "relieved (bad)", it is determined that the anxiety level is high (Yes in step 43), and the process proceeds to propose an emergency notification (step 44).

[0090] In this way, in this embodiment, when a user (employee) is working on a task that makes them anxious, they are prompted to input their level of anxiety, and if the level of anxiety meets a predetermined condition and it is determined that the employee's vital signs are abnormal, an emergency notification is proposed, and if an emergency notification is made, the current situation of the employee can be shared with a superior, etc. This embodiment makes it easier for employees to make an emergency notification to a superior, etc. in an anxious situation, thereby easing the employee's anxiety and allowing them to work with peace of mind.

[0091] <Modification> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0092] [Modification of the first embodiment] In the first embodiment, the system transitions to task-responsive mode when a specified business task is started, and the employee is prompted to input (via the screen of Figure 5(E)) whether or not to transition to monitoring mode. However, the timing of transitioning to monitoring mode after transitioning to task-responsive mode is not limited to this; the employee may be prompted to input whether or not to transition to monitoring mode a specified time after transitioning to task-responsive mode, or the employee may manually transition to monitoring mode after transitioning to task-responsive mode.

[0093] In the first embodiment, the process of proposing an emergency notification is executed when the mode is switched from the task response mode to the monitoring mode. However, the process of proposing an emergency notification may also be executed in the task response mode. In this case, the smartphone 200 sets a higher condition for determining that the worker is in an abnormal state based on vital signs when the task response mode is set than when the monitoring mode is set, making it more difficult to determine that the worker is in an abnormal state. For example, the heart rate threshold for determining that the worker is in an abnormal state may be set to 100 beats per minute or more when the monitoring mode is set, and to 110 beats per minute or more when the task response mode is set.

[0094] In the first embodiment, the smartphone 200 may change the conditions for determining that the worker is in an abnormal state from the vital sign values ​​while the monitoring mode is set, depending on the worker's vital sign values ​​acquired before the monitoring mode was set. Specifically, if the vital sign values ​​before the monitoring mode was set are not equal to or greater than the threshold value for determining that the worker is in an abnormal state but are close to the threshold value (or are higher than the average value by a predetermined percentage or more), the smartphone 200 may relax the conditions so that the worker is more likely to be in an abnormal state when the monitoring mode is set thereafter. For example, if the heart rate before the monitoring mode was set was less than 85 beats per minute, the threshold for determining that the worker is in an abnormal state during the subsequent monitoring mode may be set to 100 beats per minute or more, and if the heart rate before the monitoring mode was set to 85 beats per minute or more, the threshold for determining that the worker is in an abnormal state during the subsequent monitoring mode may be set to 95 beats per minute or more.

[0095] In the first embodiment, the conditions for determining an abnormal state during the monitoring mode may be changed depending on the anxiety level (feelings) input by the employee before the monitoring mode is set. That is, it may be easier to determine that the employee is in an abnormal state when the anxiety level is high (unwell) than when the anxiety level is low (good). For example, the heart rate threshold for determining an abnormal state may be set to 110 beats per minute or more when the anxiety level input before the monitoring mode is low ("relieved (good)"), and set to 95 beats per minute or more when the anxiety level input before the monitoring mode is high ("normal" or "anxious (bad)"). Note that the higher the anxiety level, the easier it is to determine that the employee is in an abnormal state; for example, it may be set to 95 beats per minute or more when the anxiety level is "normal" and to 90 beats per minute or more when the anxiety level is "anxious (bad)."

[0096] In the first embodiment, the configuration may be such that the task-responsive mode is not used, and only the normal work mode and the monitoring mode are used. In this case, the period from when the customer visit button 53 is operated to when the visit end button 57 is operated is considered to be the period during which a predetermined work task is being performed, and if the monitoring mode is set during the execution of the predetermined work task, the conditions for determining an abnormal state are set to be more lenient (e.g., the standard value is lower) than when the monitoring mode is not set. For example, the determination standard when the monitoring mode is set is a heart rate of 100 beats per minute or more, and the determination standard when the monitoring mode is not set is a heart rate of 110 beats per minute or more.

[0097] [Modification of the second embodiment] In the second embodiment, the employee is required to input their anxiety level (via the screen of Figure 5(D)) when starting a specified work task, but the timing for inputting the anxiety level is not limited to this; the employee may be required to input the anxiety level after a specified time has elapsed since starting the work task, or the employee may input the anxiety level manually.

[0098] In the second embodiment, the smartphone 200 turns off the function for generating suggested information when the anxiety level input by the employee at the start of a predetermined work task is “relieved (good)” or “normal.” However, the smartphone 200 may turn on the function for generating suggested information even when the anxiety level is “relieved (good)” or “normal.” In this case, the smartphone 200 varies the conditions for determining an abnormal state based on the vital signs depending on the input anxiety level. For example, the heart rate threshold for determining an abnormal state may be set to 110 beats per minute or more when the anxiety level input by the employee is “relieved (good)” or “normal,” and may be set to 100 beats per minute or more when the anxiety level input by the employee is “anxious (bad).” Note that the higher the anxiety level, the easier it is to determine an abnormal state; for example, the heart rate threshold may be set to 95 beats per minute or more when the anxiety level is “normal,” and to 90 beats per minute or more when the anxiety level is “anxious (bad).”

[0099] In the second embodiment, the smartphone 200 may change the conditions for determining that a work task is not in a normal state depending on the vital signs before inputting the anxiety level (feelings) at the start of the work task. For example, if the heart rate before inputting the anxiety level is less than 85 beats per minute, the threshold for determining that a work task is not in a normal state may be set to 100 beats per minute or more, and if the heart rate before inputting the anxiety level is 85 beats per minute or more, the threshold for determining that a work task is not in a normal state may be set to 95 beats per minute or more.

[0100] In these cases, the changed conditions are restored to the original conditions when the employee inputs their anxiety level (feelings) after completing the work task. If the employee does not input their anxiety level (feelings) at the end of the work task, the conditions may be restored to the original conditions when the employee's location information is a predetermined distance or more away from the location where the employee input their anxiety level (feelings) at the start of the work task.

[0101] [Other variations] In the first and second embodiments, an example was shown in which the employee's anxiety level (feelings) was input in three stages: "relieved (good), normal, and anxious (bad)." However, the anxiety level is not limited to three stages, and may be, for example, two stages: "relieved (good)" and "anxious (bad)," or four or more stages.

[0102] In the first and second embodiments, the wearable device 100 has a sensor unit 20 that detects vital signs, a display unit 16 that displays suggested information for an emergency notification, and an operation receiving unit 17 that receives an input of the anxiety level and a notification operation by the user in response to the suggested information, and the CPU 21 (business application) of the smartphone 200 functions as an acquisition unit that acquires vital data and the input anxiety level, a determination unit that determines whether the employee is in an abnormal state and causes the wearable device 100 to display suggested information, and a control unit that executes notification processing to a predetermined notification destination when the operation receiving unit 17 receives a signal indicating that a notification operation has been received in response to the suggested information displayed on the wearable device 100. However, the configuration of the business monitoring system is not limited to this.

[0103] For example, the CPU 11 (and business application) of the wearable terminal 100 may perform part of the functions of the CPU 21 of the smartphone 200, in which case the wearable terminal 100 may be configured to have the function of a determination unit. Also, the smartphone 200 may perform part of the functions of the wearable terminal 100, in which case the smartphone 200 may have the functions of the display unit 16 and the operation acceptance unit 17, and may display suggested information and accept notification operations on the smartphone 200.

[0104] Furthermore, the wearable terminal 100 may have the functions of the smartphone 200, and may not use the smartphone 200. In this case, the wearable terminal 100 has a function of communicating with the outside.

[0105] The server 400 may also take on some of the functions of the CPU 21 of the smartphone 200, in which case the server 400 may be configured to have the functions of an acquisition unit and a determination unit. Furthermore, if the wearable terminal 100 has a function for communicating with the outside, the smartphone 200 may not be used.

[0106] In the first and second embodiments, the server 400 stores business history information and has a function that allows the smartphone 300 owned by the superior or the like to refer to recorded information, but the smartphone 200 may have the functions of the server 400. In this case, the smartphone 200 provides recorded information such as recorded information in response to access from the smartphone 300 without using the server 400.

[0107] The work monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention can contribute to solving social issues such as workplace harassment and mental health, and can also contribute to achieving Goal 8 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations, "Decent Work and Economic Growth." [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 11...CPU 16…Display section 17...Operation reception section 18...Storage section 19…Communications Department 20...Sensor section 21...CPU 29…Communications Department 61...Emergency notification button 100...Wearable devices 200...smartphone 300...smartphone 400...Server

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires vital information detected from a user; a control unit that can set a monitoring mode for monitoring the user when the user is performing a predetermined work task, and that outputs suggestion information to the user that a notification process be executed to a predetermined notification destination when the control unit determines that the user is in an abnormal state based on the vital information while the monitoring mode is set; A business monitoring system equipped with the above.

2. The business monitoring system according to claim 1, an operation unit that accepts a notification operation by the user in response to the proposal information; The control unit executes the notification process when the notification operation is accepted for the output proposal information. Business monitoring system.

3. The business monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, The control unit receives the monitoring mode setting operation from the user at the start of the predetermined work task. Business monitoring system.

4. The business monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, The control unit a task response mode is set when the predetermined business task is started, and the monitoring mode is set when an operation by the user is accepted while the task response mode is set; outputting the proposed information when it is determined that the abnormal state is present while the monitoring mode is set; Business monitoring system.

5. The business monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, When the monitoring mode is set when the predetermined work task is being performed, the control unit determines that the state is abnormal if the vital information satisfies a first condition, and when the monitoring mode is not set when the predetermined work task is being performed, determines that the state is abnormal if the vital information satisfies a second condition that is stricter than the first condition, and outputs the proposal information. Business monitoring system.

6. The business monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, The control unit varies a condition for determining that the user is in the abnormal state from the vital information detected while the monitoring mode is set, depending on the vital information of the user detected before the monitoring mode is set. Business monitoring system.

7. The business monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, The control unit receives an input operation of an anxiety level from the user at the start of the predetermined work task, and varies a condition for determining that the user is in the abnormal state from the vital information detected while the monitoring mode is set, depending on the input anxiety level. Business monitoring system.

8. The business monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, The system includes a wearable terminal worn by the user and a portable terminal carried by the user, the wearable device includes a sensor unit that detects vital signs of the user, a notification unit that notifies the user of the suggested information, and an operation unit that accepts a notification operation by the user in response to the suggested information; the portable terminal includes the acquisition unit that acquires vital information, which is a detection result of the vital signs, from the wearable terminal; and the control unit that, when it is determined that the user is in the abnormal state while the monitoring mode is set, transmits an instruction signal to the wearable terminal to notify the suggested information; When the operation unit receives the notification operation for the proposal information notified by the notification unit, the notification process is executed to the predetermined notification destination. Business monitoring system.

9. On the computer, acquiring detected vital information from a user; a step of outputting proposal information that suggests to the user that a notification process be executed to a predetermined notification destination when the user is determined to be in an abnormal state based on the vital information while a monitoring mode that can be set when the user is performing a predetermined work task is set to the user; A program that executes the following.

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