The effect of work-time influence on health and well-being: a quasi-experimental intervention study among eldercare workers

ObjectivesThe main objective of the present study was to investigate relative personal fit as the association between rated needs and preferences for work hours, on the one hand, and actual work hours, on the other hand, in three groups (hospital, call-center, and police) working with periodic self-rostering. We also examined the association between personal fit and satisfaction with the work schedule and preference for a fixed and regular shift schedule, respectively. MethodsWe collected questionnaire data and objective work hour data over 6-12 months from the computerized self-rostering system. The response rate of the questionnaire was 69% at the hospital and call-center and 98% among the police. In total, 29 433 shifts for 285 shift workers were included in the study. Data was analyzed by means of mixed ANOVA, Kendal tau correlations and ordinal (proportional odds) logistic regression. ResultsThe results show that evening types worked relatively more hours during the evening and night hours compared to morning types as an indication of relative personal fit. Relative personal fit was also found for long shift, short rest, and morning-, evening-and night-shift frequency, but only personal fit related to morning, evening and night-shift was associated with satisfaction with work hours. Reported conflicts at the workplace about work hours and problems with lack of predictability of time for family/leisure activities, was associated with poor satisfaction and a preference for a fixed shift schedule. ConclusionsThe present study shows that periodic self-rostering is associated with relative personal fit, in particular with respect to night, evening, and morning work. Personal fit seems to be associated with satisfaction with work hours and may be a moderator of tolerance to shift work exposure.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

mentioning

confidence: 77%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Periodic self-rostering in shift work: correspondence between objective work hours, work hour preferences (personal fit), and work schedule satisfaction

Ingre¹,

Åkerstedt²,

Ekstedt³

et al. 2012

“…(26,28,29)]. After all: a specific WTC intervention can be theorized to stimulate WTC, but this may not be evident in practice [cf.…”

Section: Study the Intervention Contentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Worktime control: theoretical conceptualization, current empirical knowledge, and research agenda

Beckers¹,

Kompier²,

Kecklund³

et al. 2012

Working hours play a crucial role in the life, health, and well-being of workers. Concerning irregular working hours, the recent Fifth European Working Conditions Survey (1) shows that night work is carried out by 19% and shift work by 17% of all workers in Europe. More than half of the total workforce works at least one day during the weekend and 21% works "on call". The health effects of night and shift work have been a popular and important area of research within Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health (eg,[2][3][4], including new and interesting data and a consensus statement on shift work and breast cancer (5) published in this issue (5-8). As working times are becoming increasingly irregular and flexible, their associations with work-life balance, work satisfaction, mental health, and productivity are of growing interest.Regarding worktime flexibility, the literature distinguishes between company-based and employeeoriented flexibility (9-13). The former refers to "the need of employers to extend, modify, or reduce work hours according to client or production needs" (10, p503). Shift work and mandatory overtime are well-known examples. Employee-oriented worktime flexibility refers to autonomy regarding working times with the aim of meeting employee needs (14). A similar construct is worktime control (WTC): "an employee's perception of his/her possibilities to control the duration, position, and distribution of his/her working times" (10, p503). WTC refers to self-determination of worktime aspects such as starting and ending times of the work day, breaks, days off, vacations (9), and control over whether, when and how much to work overtime (15). The distinction between company-based and employee-oriented worktime flexibility is helpful but one must bear in mind that a clear distinction is not always possible: although scholars tend to present WTC as a form of employee-oriented flexibility, it may also be implemented to advance organizational needs, such as higher work motivation and productivity and lower absenteeism and turnover of valued employees (16).Applications of worktime flexibility are by no means new phenomena. Company-based shift work has been a health issue in Europe since the end of the 19 th century (17). WTC was pioneered at a German company in 1967, in the form of "gliding time" (cf. flextime). This early experiment resulted in favorable organizational outcomes and, from 1970 onwards, flextime spread in West-European countries (18). Yet, until the late 20 th century, patterns of work schedules remained quite uniform, and work hours were still mainly determined by the employer with limited freedom on the part of employees (11,18). During the 1990s, major trends towards enhanced employee-oriented WTC emerged. This was a reaction to the louder call for "healthy work" and the rising labor participation of women and associated challenges regarding successfully combining work and family (11).In the 21 st century, the trend towards more flexible worktime practices continues. Many organi...

“…The employee's ability to influence working hours (worktime control) has been associated with improved work-life balance (4-6), fewer subjective health complaints (7), less medically certified sickness absence (8), lower likelihood of worker disability pension (9), and reduced turn-over (10). Although other studies failed to find similar effects (11)(12)(13), Joyce et al (14) tentatively concluded in their Cochrane review that flexible working interventions that increase worker control and choice are likely to have a positive effect on health outcomes but also that further intervention studies are needed. Furthermore, evidence is lacking on mechanisms through which increased worktime control may affect social life and health.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of self-rostering (the PRIO-project): effects on working hours, recovery, and health

Garde

Albertsen

Nabe‐Nielsen

et al. 2012

Self Cite

In this large, longitudinal intervention study on self-rostering, employees changed shift length and timing, but did not compromise most recommendations for acceptable shift work schedules. Positive consequences for recovery and health were observed. The effect could not be statistically explained by changes in actual working hours. Original article Scand J Work Environ Health. 2012;38(4): 314-326. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3306 Implementation of self-rostering (the PRIO project): effects on working hours, recovery, and health by Anne Helene Garde, PhD, 1 Karen Albertsen, PhD,2,3 Kirsten PhD, 2 Isabella Gomes Carneiro, Phd, 1 Jørgen Skotte, MSc Eng, 1 Sofie Mandrup Hansen, MSc, 1 Henrik Lund, Phd, 4 Helge Hvid, Phd,4 Åse Marie Hansen, PhD 1,2 Garde AH, Albertsen K, Nabe-Nielsen K, Carneiro IG, Skotte J, Hansen SM, Lund H, Hvid H, Hansen ÅM. Implementation of self-rostering (the PRIO project): effects on working hours, recovery, and health. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2012;38(4):314-326. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3306 Objectives The aim of this study was to (i) investigate the consequences of self-rostering for working hours, recovery, and health, and (ii) elucidate the mechanisms through which recovery and health are affected. AffiliationMethods Twenty eight workplaces were allocated to either an intervention or reference group. Intervention A encompassed the possibility to specify preferences for starting time and length of shift down to 15 minutes intervals. Interventions B and C included the opportunity to choose between a number of predefined duties. Questionnaires (N=840) on recovery and health and objective workplace reports of working hours (N=718) were obtained at baseline and 12 months later. The interaction term between intervention and time was tested in mixed models and multinomial logistic regression models. ResultsThe odds ratio (OR) of having short [OR 4.8, 95 % confidence interval (95% CI) 1.9-12.3] and long (OR 4.8, 95% CI 2.9-8.0) shifts increased in intervention A. Somatic symptoms (β= -0.10, 95% CI -0.19--0.02) and mental distress (β= -0.13, 95% CI -0.23--0.03) decreased, and sleep (β= 1.7, 95% CI 0.04-0.30) improved in intervention B, and need for recovery was reduced in interventions A (β= -0.17, 95% CI -0.29--0.04) and B (β= -0.17, 95% CI -0.27--0.07). There were no effects on recovery and health in intervention C, and overall, there were no detrimental effects on recovery or health. The benefits of the intervention were not related to changes in working hours and did not differ by gender, age, family type, degree of employment, or working hour arrangements. ConclusionsAfter implementation of self-rostering, employees changed shift length and timing but did not compromise most recommendations for acceptable shift work schedules. Positive consequences of self-rostering for recovery and health were observed, particularly in intervention B where worktime control increased but less extensively than intervention A. The effect could not be statistically explained by changes in actual working hours.Ke...