Excerpt from Text in I/O Psychology with thoughts - Industrial/organization psychology: An applied approach (9th ed.)

Stress Caused by Work Schedules

Shift Work

Even though most people work from 8:00 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., data from theBureau of Labor Statistics indicate that approximately 16% of all U.S. employees work evening or late-night shifts due to economic and safety factors. Police officers and nurses must work around the clock because neither crime nor illness stops at 5:00 p.m.;retail employees must work late hours to accommodate people who are able to shop only late in the day; and factory workers work shifts because one plant can be three times as productive if it operates round the clock.Because shift work is necessary and affects approximately 16% of all employees in the United States, research has attempted to identify its effects as well as ways to reduce any effects that might be negative. A review of the research on shift work (Smith, Folkard,Tucker, & Evans, 2011) clearly indicates that working evening (“swing”) and late-night/overnight (“graveyard”) shifts has many work and health-related negative effects, including:

■ sleep problems;

■ chronic fatigue;

■ accidents and injuries;

■ gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., constipation, heartburn, gas);

■ cardiovascular disorders (Lin et al., 2015);

■ increased cancer mortality (Lin et al., 2015);

■ increased mortality from all causes (Lin et al., 2015);

■ increased problems during pregnancy (Cai et al., 2019);

■ increased odds of abdominal obesity (Sun et al., 2017);

■ increased absenteeism from work (Jamal, 1981);

■ lowered low satisfaction (Jamal, 1981);

■ lower job performance (Smith, Totterdell, & Folkard, 1995); and

■ increased social and family problems (Jamal, 1981; Presser, 2000).

Many of these negative effects are thought to occur because of disruptions in circadian rhythms, the 24-hour cycles of physiological functions maintained by every person. For example, most people sleep at night and eat in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Although there are individual differences in the exact times for each function (such as eating or sleeping), people generally follow the same pattern. Working evening and late-night shifts disrupts this pattern and often causes digestive, appetite, sleeping, and other health problems (Frei, 2018; Price, 2011). Unfortunately, we don’t “get used to” shift work, and these effects get worse with continued exposure to night shifts (Folkard, 2008; Kaliterna, Vidacek, Prizmic, & Radosevic-Vidacek, 1995). For Example, Garbarino (2004) found that Italian police working shifts had more sleep disorders than non-shift workers and that the greater the number of years spent working shifts, the worse the sleep disorders.

Reource:

Aamodt, M. G. (2023). Industrial/organization psychology: An applied approach (9th ed.). Wadsworth/Cengage. ISBN-13: 9780357658420

Thoughts and Questions on the Topic of Workplace Wellbeing

Here are my initial thoughts, and questions I would like to pose to professionals, everywhere.

This excerpt, which cites many references for follow up research and understanding, shows that there is an inherent value placed on the output and production rather than longterm employee sustainability and wellbeing. Certainly, this has to be a contradiction as refusal to maintain the wellbeing of a workforce will inevitably have adverse impact on production and output.

Questions to consider:

1. Why is is that we value production and business continuity over employee wellbeing or societal functionality? (Employees are simply participants in every day society, and studies show that work stress carries over into the home / family environments, social circles, and impacts cooperation toward societal wellbeing like volunteering or self development)
2. Despite the need for business success to continue the growth of a community, can we not support businesses that place an emphasis on employee wellbeing? (Naturally businesses come and go - it's the nature of business. With a newer, supportive business model businesses can still maintain profitability aligned with a shift in workplace culture. These shifts look different for every business, but the question should be "how" can these shifts be done rather than dismiss opportunities for change entirely.)
3. With all of our cultural changes over the last 2 decades, is it not time to look at our workplace practices and legislation for opportunities to improve our nation's wellbeing? (Legislation proposed by the House of Representatives proves there is a growing demand for change. It's important to note that with technology our culture has shifted tremendously along with our values. The only factor that remains is the 40 hour work-week structure place nearly 100 years ago.)

As a mother of little ones who will eventually enter the workforce, a working professional, and advocate for wellbeing in the workplace - I dedicate my studies and career to exploring the benefits and challenges faced through cultural shifts in the workplace. As a business owner I understand the financial challenges imposed by changes to our usual approach to work and team building. However, as a human I refuse to accept that there is simply no other way, as a practicing IO Psych major and communications expert I have seen adaptability lead many successes in our industries and look forward to continued exploration.

If you're interested in conversations on the topic of communication, workplace wellbeing, and marketing ethically - I invite you to connect with me here.

Additional Resources to Consider:

Cascio, W. F., & Aguinis, H. (2022). Applied psychology in talent management (9th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press.

Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2022). Organizational behavior (19th ed.). Pearson.

Schein, E. H. (2017). Organizational culture and leadership (5th ed.). Wiley.