Shift Work and the Impact on Wellbeing

Helen Lawson

Objectives• Shift work in context & key guidance (UK)

• Known negative impacts associated with shift work

• How to support shift workers using a wellbeing framework

• The benefits of getting wellbeing right, for shift workers, other workers and organisations

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What is Shift Work?• No one specific definition;

• Work outside standard hours (normally between 7am –7pm, 8hrs, with lunch break), maybe with a handover

• One employee replaces another on same job in 24 hours

• Extended periods of 12 hrs +

• Rotating shifts

• Split shifts

• Overtime/Standby/On-Call 3

Context & Guidance• Approx 3.6 million shift workers (14% of working pop)

• Managing shiftwork, Health and Safety guidance, HSE

• Working Time Regulations (WTR) – some exemptions

• Railway and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations

• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations

• Health and Safety at Work Act

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What is Wellbeing?• Subjective - a state of mind

• Being comfortable, healthy &/or happy over time

• It’s not just the absence of illness or disease

• Physical and mental wellbeing

• A little reflection … On a scale of 1 to 10 …..

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Levels of Wellbeing Intervention• Primary – helps whole groups - woven into

business design, org etc. Eliminates or reduces stress/negative wellbeing impacts at source

• Secondary – targeted – often training based. Useful where primary isn’t possible

• Tertiary – targeted – should be used in addition to above. May include Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)

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Employer Responsibilities for Shift Workers

• Protect health, safety & welfare of all employees and others

• Assessment of risks

• Consult with employees

• Commit to measures which reduce risks including;• No. of hours

• How they are scheduled

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Employer OpportunityConsultation/leadership

“The wise man doesn’t give the right answers, he poses the right questions.”

Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908-2009)

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Leadership & Listening?

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Empathic

Attentive

Selective

Pretending

IgnoringStephen Covey

Employee Responsibilities

• Take reasonable care of own and others safety

• Take positive steps to understand the risk factors in their work including;

• Fatigue

• Compliance with safety rules

• Do nothing to put others at risk

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Are you Supporting Them?

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Capability +Opportunity +

Motivation

BehaviourSusan Michie, COM-B Model

Shift Work Negatives for Businesses

• Poor performance

• Likelihood of errors

• Accidents

• BUT – there are always opportunities

• Growth mindset

• Marginal gains (Dave Brailsford)

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Minimising Business Shift Work Negatives• Review organisational practices

• Create a supportive infrastructure

• Check your COM-B model compliance

• Leadership – do they know stuff or staff?

• Is competition an organisational tactic?

• Create a shared vision & community

• Psychological safety is paramount

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Individual Negative Impacts of Shift Work

• Disruption to circadian rhythms (body clock)

• Sleep disturbance/loss

• Fatigue

• Disturbed appetite and digestion

• Reliance on sedatives and/or stimulants

• Social/domestic problems

• Relationships at work

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Minimising Individual Impacts• Raise awareness of potential negative impacts

• Educate on how to minimise e.g. sleep hygiene, diet, alcohol, stimulants and sedatives etc.

• Explain biology/scarce neurological resources

• Highlight significance of stress – good and bad

• Self awareness, emotional intelligence, listening, constructive comms for work and home

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Health Inequalities• Unfair, avoidable, differences across population

• 9.3 years < for men

• 7.5 years < for women (Health Profiles)

• Wider determinants of health - education, income, housing and employment

• May have lower awareness of/access to services

• May lack essential skills (Skills Builder F/W)

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Shift Worker Health Risks• Gastrointestinal – indigestion, constipation

• Hypertension and Coronary Heart Disease

• Colds, flu, gastroenteritis

• Female reproductive issues

• May affect pre-existing conditions – diabetes/asthma

• Dose response effect of meds (circadian rhythms)

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Supporting Shift Worker Health• Provide free health assessments (WTR)

• Continually promote what is available (EAP)

• Promote free resources (e.g. NHS Health Checks)

• Health promotion – men’s health, BP, smoking

• Educate on self care and health management

• Parity of esteem – physical and mental health

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Mental Wellbeing

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Adapted from Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Support Positive Change

Thoughts

FeelingsBehaviours

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Supporting Shift Workers Wellbeing

• Sickness and absenteeism including lost-time incidents

• Accidents

• Compensation claims

• Efficiency

• Quality

• Productivity

• Performance

• Engagement

• Discretionary effort21

Strategic Workplace Wellbeing

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Mind Body

CommunityMoney

+ ?

In Summary• Shift work poses real risks which must be managed

• For every challenge, there is an opportunity

• Look to achieve marginal gains

• Consider the value of a wellbeing approach

• What if you invest in them and they leave?

• What if you don’t and they stay?

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Any questions?

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Useful Information• Skills Builder Framework – Universal Framework for

Essential Skills - https://www.skillsbuilder.org/

• Health Profiles -https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/health-profiles

• NHS Health Checks - https://www.healthcheck.nhs.uk/

• Smoking Cessation - https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree

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Contact DetailsHelen Lawson

Workplace Wellbeing Specialist, Trainer, Speaker and Author

E helen@wellbeingts.co.uk

W www.wellbeingts.co.uk

www.linkedin.com/in/helen-lawson-educator

@wellbeingtrainingsolutions

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