Working at times other than daytime hours has been linked with some harmful health
effects. For example, shift workers often:
- feel fatigued and disoriented.
- sleep less than they should, don't sleep well and often feel tired
- have poor eating habits and are less active.
- have stomach disorders and problems with digestion.
- suffer from anxiety and are dissatisfied with their jobs.
Shift work is linked with some health conditions, including cardiovascular disease.
A person's heart rate and blood pressure follow a daily cycle (called circadian
rhythm). Changing shifts can disrupt this cycle.
How can shift work affect my family and social life?
Shift work can also interfere with family and social lives. Many workers find
it hard to have regular daily routines or to plan for family obligations. Shift
workers may have less regular social contact with others, which can leave them
feeling lonely and isolated. They may also have trouble fighting physical and
mental fatigue.
Is there a good shift schedule design?
One way that an organization or a workplace can reduce the effect of shift work
on employees is to create a good shift schedule. The management and employees
should work together on shift work design. A good shift schedule or plan should
try to include points like:
- Reduce night work as much as possible.
- If rotating shifts are needed, schedule rotations every two or three
days.
- Always change shifts "ahead" and not "backward".
Rotate from mornings to afternoons to nights.
- Always keep rest and activities in the same order, no matter which
shift you work.
- Don't start a shift before 6:00 a.m. The body is at its lowest just
before sunrise.
- Allow for enough breaks to recover from the fatigue developed during
the shifts.
- Be as flexible as possible. Consider what each person needs and prefers.
- Tailor the shifts to the tasks that employees are doing.
- Provide facilities that keep workers as safe and comfortable as possible.
Once you have designed a shift work schedule, follow it on a trial basis. You'll
know it's working if the health and safety of employees improves.
There is no such thing as a perfect schedule, but if an organization's management
and employees work together to create a good shift plan, it will lead to happier,
more productive workers.
Additional resources
Managing shiftwork – Saskatchewan Labour
Shiftwork – Institute for Work and Health
Shiftwork: health effects and solutions – Occupational
Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW)
Work schedules – Canadian Centre for Occupational Health
and Safety (CCOHS)
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