Shiftwork

In earlier times almost everyone worked during the day and rested at night. This practice is alluded to in Jesus’ injunction regarding mission: “As long as it is day, we must do the work. . . . Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4 NRSV). On occasions people did work at night: in two places we find reference to Paul’s doing this (Acts 20:31; 1 Thes. 2:9). The main exceptions to working during the day were those who were on watch or guard duty, servants at dinner parties or in taverns, traders bringing goods to market where there was a daytime curfew, or people dealing with an emergency situation. Even in these cases, working at odd hours or at night tended to be intermittent.

How Did Shiftwork Come into Being?

It was not until the Industrial Revolution that this pattern underwent serious change. What made the difference was the introduction of machines. Unlike humans, machines can run all night as well as all day, having to stop only when a problem develops or they break down. From an economic point of view, machines are more profitable if they are kept running. This development led to the formation of two, then three, shifts throughout a twenty-four-hour period. Generally workers rotated around these shifts, though in time some were compelled or chose to work a regular shift.

Minor variations of this occurred with the introduction of Morse code and then the wireless and with the creation of varying time zones within large countries like the United States, Canada and Australia. This resulted in some people operating in the time zones of places other than where they lived and worked. As a result of the introduction of the telephone and now the broader telecommunications revolution, people are able and at times required to operate according to the time zones of other countries. As larger numbers of people have become involved in shiftwork, there has been a corresponding increase in shiftwork among people in the service sector to cater to the workers’ needs at the times they are available.

How Widespread Is Shiftwork, and What Are Its Effects?

Over the last few decades shiftwork has been increasing in most industrializing or industrialized economies. Overall in Western countries approximately one-third of all workers are employed at times other than standard working hours. Many of these are involved in rotating schedules, others in permanent shiftwork, including those who are operating according to the time zone of another region or country. Indeed the whole idea of normal working hours is becoming increasingly questionable. Many who work standard hours are now finding that sometimes they also have to work regularly at night or on a weekend.

There are some advantages in doing shiftwork. The pay is generally better. Time spent commuting is often shorter. The sense of camaraderie can be greater. But the disadvantages are serious, and awareness of them has grown over the years. Problems include (1) disrupted sleeping patterns, (2) greater vulnerability to fatigue and depression, (3) increased likelihood of physical illness, (4) more tensions with spouses and children, (5) less socializing and contact with friends, (6) higher incidence of divorce and (7) a tendency to die earlier. It is obvious that these are not minor difficulties.

How Can Shiftwork Be Handled More Responsibly?

For a long time the physical, psychological and social consequences of shiftwork were overlooked or viewed only as isolated cases. Now that they are well known, many employers and unions have begun to take steps to reduce them. Individual workers also need to know whether they should take on regular shiftwork at all or, if already doing so, how best to minimize its unfortunate consequences. Here are some major steps that can be taken:

1. Vary shiftwork with more normal work patterns. Though this involves adjustments to changing schedules, these are no greater than those experienced by someone traveling by air overseas.
2. With long-term shiftwork, avoid rotating shifts. Instead, have people work mostly the same hours.
3. As much as possible, it is best for people to work regular week-length rhythms, even if these do not always coincide with standard weekdays and weekends.
4. Shiftworkers need normal, generally long, weekends throughout the year so that their socializing patterns can coincide with those with whom they want to socialize.
5. Shiftworkers also need longer or more frequent holidays so that they can make up time lost through shiftwork with their families.

There are other steps that can be taken, not only by individual shiftworkers but by those associated with them. First, spouses of shiftworkers can adjust as much as realistically possible to the latter’s daily rhythm so that they can have more time together. Second, friends should be prepared to do the same from time to time so that they can maintain their relationship with shiftworkers and engage in common activities. It is lamentable that shiftworkers often lose long-standing friends and only develop relationships with others also working shifts; apart from the obvious relational loss, this tends to result in having too restricted a view of life and the world. Third, shiftworkers and their spouses, preferably children as well, need to be in a communal Christian group where they can gain support, find practical help for their special circumstances and forge long-term links with people living according to more normal time patterns. Fourth, congregations—whether acting in concert or on their own—should hold some groups, corporate worship services and occasionally other activities at times shiftworkers can attend, sometimes late in the evening or early in the morning. Fifth, every so often permanent shiftworkers should try to rotate their jobs so as to have more normal employment or together with their families spend time with a counselor ensuring that habits, tensions and ailments are not building up so as to create severe problems in the future.

Since surveys suggest that the trend toward shiftwork or other unusual work patterns is likely to continue, it is important that as Christians and as churches, as employers and as unions, further serious attention be given to this phenomenon. Since the debate has now moved beyond issues of salary and time off to issues of health and lifestyle, perhaps the time is now ripe to tackle issues of spirit and community.

» See also: Time

» See also: Work

» See also: Workplace

References and Resources

W. P. Colquhoun and J. Rutenranz, Studies of Shiftwork (London: Taylor & Francis, 1980); T. H. Monk, Making Shift Work Tolerale (1992); A. J. Scott, ed., Shiftwork (Philadelphia: Hanley & Belfur, 1990).

—Robert Banks