What Are Some of the Challenges of Shift Work for Both Individuals and Family Members

Issue #65 – September 2020

Michael J. Fox once said, "Family unit is not an important matter. It'due south everything!" In this month's Focus on Fatigue, we will explore the topic of work-family conflict and expect at ways employers and employees can reduce the tension for shift workers and their families.

The FRMS Team

InterDynamics Pty Ltd
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Views expressed in articles and links provided are those of the individual authors, and exercise not necessarily represent the views of InterDynamics (except where direct attributed).

Shift Work and Work-Family unit Conflict

Work-family conflict occurs when the demands of work interfere, or are incompatible, with family life. By nature, shift piece of work, or nonstandard work hours, present challenges to juggling work and family that differ from those experienced with standard work hours.

How can shift work accept a negative effect on personal relationships?

Shift work has been found to have modest, but significant, negative effects on familial relationships in some circumstances. These include reduced marital quality and satisfaction, less or reduced quality fourth dimension with children, increased risk of teenage malversation, and an increased risk of divorce. A New Zealand written report of shift workers who worked long hours in inflexible work schedules found that isolation could likewise pose a trouble in shift worker families, non just for the shift worker but besides for the non shift working partner.

Slumber deprivation is a major outcome for many shift workers, and the inquiry around this area can as well provide insight into the detrimental effects of shift work on families. Studies have found that sleep deprivation is associated with feeling less gratitude towards partners, an increase in interpersonal disharmonize, reduced empathy and reduced emotional control.

Can shift work take benefits for personal relationships?

The news isn't all negative, and shift work can indeed provide opportunities that standard hours of employment may not, such as alternative child care arrangements, providing opportunities to spend more time with children during the 24-hour interval, and the ability to attend school functions that might otherwise be problematic. It is certainly the case that some people prefer to work night shifts because those shifts fit in ameliorate with the individual's lifestyle or personal requirements.

Addressing work-family conflict

The bug of work-family conflict relating to shift work are most effectively addressed when seen as a articulation concern for both organisations and individuals and approached both through workplace and personal strategies.

What can employers do?

While shift piece of work and nonstandard hours are unavoidable in many industries, inquiry has shown that the post-obit strategies tin reduce work-family conflict and increase family time capability, likewise as increasing chore satisfaction and longevity:
– Provide piece of work schedules with advanced notice
– Offer stability in piece of work schedule
– Offer workers greater control over scheduling
– Provide shift work training that includes family involvement and social coping strategies
– Promote a supportive civilisation that is reflected in policies, practices and supervisor support

What can shift worker families do to strengthen their personal relationships?

What are the virtually effective strategies shift workers, and their families, can employ to ensure that their personal relationships are at an optimum? Unfortunately the inquiry hasn't withal extended as far as providing bear witness-based answers to this very important question. Of course, many shift worker families use a variety of strategies that enable their family unit to function effectively. For those who would like a few extra hints and tricks, the post-obit strategies have been recommended by researchers in the surface area:

United we stand

Maintaining a strong family unit in the face of shift piece of work challenges is, partly, almost attitude. Every member of the family must be willing to work together and make compromises when necessary. Information technology is incommunicable for a shift worker to slip into the normal routine of the non-shift working family unit the moment they walk in the door. It is just as impossible for the not-shift working family members to arrange their lives entirely effectually the needs of the shift worker. This is non because the different members of the family aren't trying hard plenty, it's only because they're out of synch with each other. If anybody works together, perhaps the family tin observe ways for these two disparate routines to complement each other, instead of clashing head-on.

Recognising mood swings for what they are

As mentioned previously, sleep deprivation lowers people'southward emotional stability. We go grumpy, nosotros're more easily irritated by niggling things, and we don't e'er capeesh our loved ones equally much as we would if we were well-rested. If a shift worker comes habitation from a long dark shift and is grumpy, this is non because their personality has changed or because they love their family less, it's because they need sleep. After they have slept, chances are they'll revert dorsum to their usual selves. The same is true for anyone who has gone too long without sleep. Recognising these sorts of pocket-sized mood swings for the temporary phenomenon they are tin assistance family unit members sympathise what's happening when they occur.

Planning ahead

Many shift work families talk about the importance of The Family Agenda! This is the big planner that hangs on the wall and tells everyone where anybody else is going to be. Shift times will always exist the first affair the shift worker adds to the family calendar. This gives other family members an idea of when they may be able to programme time with the shift worker, even if it'south merely having a meal together as a family.

Prioritise slumber

Slumber impecuniousness is one of the greatest challenges facing shift workers. A lack of sleep volition touch every other aspect of a shift worker's life and, by extension, the whole family. Therefore, it is essential that after shift times are added to the family agenda, sleep times are added next. It is imperative that the family unit work together to protect these sleep blocks from interruption. The shift worker can ensure they are using good slumber hygiene to increase the chances of getting good quality slumber. Other family members tin can adapt to either exist out of the house at those times, or to keep noise levels to a minimum.
A solid schedule of sleep blocks also provides reassurance for family members regarding the times they can freely make racket without interrupting the sleep of the shift worker. After all, it's their business firm too and no i can be quiet all the time.

Making time for each other

Later the shift roster and sleep blocks accept been added to the family calender. What comes next? Family time, of course. No family unit can maintain potent relationships without spending time together. This includes fourth dimension as a family (if children are present) and time as a couple. Quality will by and large exist more important than quantity. Equally a couple, it may be necessary to put aside 2 periods of fourth dimension where possible. One for talking about household bug such as finances, why the backyard hasn't been mowed, and the leaky tap in the bath. The second for relaxing and enjoying each other'southward company.

Making time for me

Anybody needs fourth dimension away from both work and family in order to maintain their private sense of cocky. This may be solitary time for reflection, or information technology might be time catching up with friends. It may involve participation in a hobby or just reading a good volume. Every fellow member of the family in entitled to some fourth dimension lonely, or with friends, both those who are working shifts and those who aren't.

Advice is key

On a applied level communication can be as simple as making sure everyone knows the roster of the shift worker, and the schedule of anybody else in the household. A shift working parent tin't attend their child'southward football game, even if they're available, if they don't know it'due south on.
On an emotional level, communication is all most checking in with each other. This tin can include texting during a break or leaving notes for each other. Get creative! For example, draw some simple graph lines on a small whiteboard and hang it in a well-used expanse of the house. One axis on the graph could indicate energy levels, ranging from 'exhausted' to 'billowy off the walls.' The second axis could indicate mood, ranging from 'everything is awful' to 'everything is crawly.' Each family member has their own magnet to identify anywhere on the graph to indicate their present emotional state. For example, Mum might be feeling a little tired (moderate on the energy scale) but she'due south happy she accomplished everything she wanted to exercise today (high on the mood scale). This is a elementary concept that can permit each member to tell others in the family unit how they're doing, and when they demand extra support, without having to say it in words.

When it all goes wrong

Adding shifts to the calendar, calculation slumber to the calendar, making time for family, for spouses, for the individual. And don't forget to notice time to launder the canis familiaris! Put all this together and it tin can experience like y'all need 30 hours in every day just to fit it all in. This, of course, is where compromising comes in. Virtually people find it impossible to do everything they need to exercise all the time, whether they are shift workers or non. Therefore, when schedules clash, plans exit the window and the dog is still covered in mud, it will be necessary to be okay with life not working for a while. Throw your hands in the air. Move your magnet to the 'life is awful' part of the graph. Laugh. Give each other hugs, even if it'south in the moment before you charge out the door on the fashion to your next shift. So try again tomorrow. After all, family is what life is all nearly!

References

Davis, K. D., Goodman, West. B., Pirretti, A. East. and Almeida, D. 1000. (2008) Nonstandard work schedules, perceived family well-being, and daily stressors. Periodical of Marriage and Family unit, 70(4), 991-1003. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2008.00541.10
Gee Wilson, M., Polzer‐Debruyne, A., Chen, South. and Fernandes, S. (2007), Shift work interventions for reduced work‐family conflict, Employee Relations, Vol. 29 No. 2, pp. 162-177. https://doi.org/10.1108/01425450710719996
Gordon, A. M. and Chen, S. (2013) The role of sleep in interpersonal conflict: Do sleepless nights mean worse fights? Social Psychological and Personality Science, five(2), 168-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550613488952
Handy, J. (2015) Maintaining family unit life under shiftwork schedules: A case written report of a New Zealand Petrochemical Plant. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 39(ane), 29-37.
Hendrix, J. A. and Parcell, T. L. (2014) Parental nonstandard work, family unit processes, and delinquency during adolescence. Journal of Family Problems, 35(10), 1363-1393. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X13510299
Kelly, East. L., Moen, P., Oakes, J. M., Fan, W., Okechukwu, C., Davis, 1000. D., Hammer, L., Kossek, Due east., Rex, R. B., Hanson, G., Mierzwa, F., & Casper, L. (2014). Changing Work and Work-Family unit Conflict: Evidence from the Piece of work, Family, and Health Network. American sociological review, 79(iii), 485–516. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122414531435
Monk, T. H. and Folkard, S. (1992) Making shiftwork tolerable. Taylor & Francis: London, UK.
That, Kadri and Mills, Melinda (2016) Out of Time: The Consequences of Not-Standard Employment Schedules for Family Cohesion. Springer Briefs in Folklore: London, UK.
Vaghar, M. I., & Masrour, M. J. (2019). A comparative written report of satisfaction and family conflicts among married nurses with different working hours. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 8(ii), 472–476. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_395_18
White, D. (2018) Shift work and relationships. Psych Key. Retrieved on August 5, 2020, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/shift-work-and-relationships/
WorkCover (2020) How to manage shiftwork: Workcover NSW wellness and safety guide. WorkCover NSW: Gosford, NSW.

In The Research

Shift work interventions for reduced work-family disharmonize

Marie Gee Wilson, Andrea Polzer-Debruyne, Sopie Chen, Sonia Fernandes (2007)
Employee Relations, Vol.29 No.2, pp.162-177. https://doi.org/10.1108/01425450710719996

Abstruse

Purpose – This research aims to investigate the efficacy of family interest in shift work preparation targeting both physiological and social coping strategies.
Design/methodology/approach – The study utilized repeated surveys of work-family disharmonize (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC) in a naturally occurring field experiment. Three small procedure manufacturing sites introduced preparation for shift workers, with or without family involvement, and with or without training on managing relational aspects of shift-piece of work.
Findings – The inclusion of social coping strategies combined with family involvement significantly reduced piece of work-family disharmonize. Open up response categories on the survey suggest that these reductions were due to the facilitation of a joint problem solving approach by family unit members. In contrast, employee focused training on physiological coping lone appears to increment family conflicts.
Research limitations/implications – As a field study, this paper cannot control for the particularities of family unit situations. It should also exist noted that the participants were all male, and results may have differed for female shift workers given differing family and work expectations.
Practical implications – For employers and OSH officers, this research suggests that broader spectrum training may assist shift workers in managing the requirements and impact of unsociable hours of piece of work. For the shift worker, the research reinforces the importance of family back up and family interest in moderating shift work's potentially negative effects.
Originality/value – This is the first report to appraise the impact of family unit involvement in grooming and development-based interventions. This paper provides a unique perspective on shift work interventions by documenting both content and procedure effects for shift work support.

In the News

Provided below are a pick of manufactures from around the spider web on the bug associated with fatigue. Nosotros promise you find them useful and interesting.

Why ix to 5 isn't the only shift that can work for busy families

Academy of Washington, Science Daily, June 2018
For the millions of Americans who work "nonstandard" shifts — evenings, nights or with rotating days off — the schedule can be especially challenging with children at dwelling. But a new study from the University of Washington finds that consistent hours, at whatsoever fourth dimension of day, can give families flexibility and in some cases, improve children'southward behavior.

Unpredictable work hours and volatile incomes are long term risks for American workers

Katherine Guyot and Richard Five. Reeves, Brookings, August 2020
Debates about working fourth dimension tend to focus on quantity. Are American workers having to put in likewise many hours, particularly those with caring responsibilities? This is of grade a vitally important question. But it is not the just 1. It matters not only how many hours people piece of work, but how much control they have over them.

Recent Studies Relating to Slumber and Fatigue

Optimistic people sleep better, longer, study finds

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau, Science Daily, August 2019
People who are the most optimistic tend to be better sleepers, a report of young and middle-anile adults establish.

Bad sleep can cause migraines ii days afterward, new study finds

Abby Moore, Mind Body Green, December 2019
For the one in seven people who endure from migraines, that inability to fall asleep can have even worse effects, according to new research.

Smelling your lover'south shirt could improve your slumber

University of British Columbia, Scientific discipline Daily, February 2020
The scent of a romantic partner tin can improve sleep, suggests new psychology enquiry.

Having problem sleeping? Try forgiving someone

Sophie McMullen, The Washington Post, Oct 2019
Y'all may have tried a bedtime meditation or a technique such as the armed forces method to help you fall asleep, only according to a study published last calendar month in the Journal Psychology and Health, at that place'due south another practice y'all could consider instead: forgiveness.

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Source: https://www.interdynamics.com/2020/09/09/focus-on-fatigue-issue-65-shift-work-and-work-family-conflict/