Effects of flexible and long working hours

Transcription

1 7th International Symposium on Shiftwork and Working Time, 8 September 5, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands Why do we have to deal with these issues? Effects of flexible and long working hours Friedhelm Nachreiner Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg Department of Psychology, Work and Organizational Psychology Unit Germany GAWO Gesellschaft für arbeits-, wirtschafts- und organisationspsychologische Forschung e.v. there is an increasing request from employers (and governments for longer and (more flexible working hours, with regard to daily, weekly monthly yearly life time working time i.e. a move from standard working hours towards non-standard working hours Why do we have to deal with these issues? The revision of the European Directive on working time shows an intention to react to these request, by increasing the number of max. working hours per week to 65 extending the periods for balancing working times to one year offering the possibility for workers to opt out Towards standard working hours - by country Costa et al., 3 3rd European Survey TOTAL <4 h/w <4 h/w + <= h/d <4 h/w + <= h/d + no night Luxembourg France <4 h/w + <= h/d + no night + no Sunday Belgium Portugal Netherlands <4 h/w + <= h/d + no night + no Sunday + no shift Spain U.K Italy Sweden Greece Finland Denmark Germany Austria <4 h/w + <= h/d + no night + no Sunday + no shift + no part-time <4 h/w + <= h/d + no night + no Sunday + no shift + no part-time + no Saturday Why non-standard working hours? there is a clear trend towards non-standard working hours non-standard working hours are already the standard, at least within the EU we will face an increasing development towards non-standard working hours where shift-work is merely one special case of the problem although an important one But what are the effects of non-standard working hours for workers? theirsafety health and well-being

2 How acceptable are such working hours? - from an ergonomics point of view - Ergonomics criteria task must be executable must not lead to damages or disorders to health must not lead to impairments should support personal development Indicators Accidents Health Physical and psychosocial impairments Topics of this presentation extended or long working hours ( shiftwork flexible work hours safety health psychosocial effects productivity Accident Risk by Time on Task Registered Accidents (FRG, HVBG Accidents Exposed [%] Registered Accidents Exposed Accidents [%] / Relative Risk 3 Relative Risk > Time on Task [h] Relative risk of fatal accidents as a function of time on task exposed [%] RR exposed relative risk Accident Risk as a Function of time on Task Results from four Studies using Aggregated Data [ z ] 4 Hänecke et al Folkard 996 Åkerstedt 995 Nachreiner [Fatal, 5h] , Time on Task [ h ] time on task [h] Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg - AE Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie

3 Accident risk as a function of time on task and time of day relative risk starting time of shift 6h 4h h Reported days lost due to accidents accidents, z-score accidents, z-scores, MAVG [ z - scores ] time of day Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg - AE Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie < rd EU Survey, employed Accidents and flexible working hours Not much known! Reported days lost due to work related accidents as a function of the number and flexibilty of working hours,5 [z-score] Perhaps worth while looking at some of the European data -,5 - -,5 accidents (flexible accidents (regular < working hours [h/week] Health effects Frequencies of health complaints as a function of working hours per week 5 [ % ] of extended working hours of flexible work hours ( of shiftwork and some combinations 4 3 complaints stress back pain fatigue sleep stomach heart working hours [ h /week ] 3rd European Survey,, employed and self employed

4 Frequencies of health complaints as a function of working hours per week z- standardized 3 - [ z - scores ] sleep z fatigue z stress z stomach z Frequencies of health complaints as a function of working hours per week z- standardized, moving average Impairments [ z ],5,5 -,5 - -,5 Mean z Moving AVG Health complaints as a function of working hours groups of disorders,3 musculo-sceletal, psychovegetative general, -, -, -,3 3rd European Survey,, employed workers < Complaints as a function of working hours - Germany [factor score],5 Psychovegetative, MAVG, Musculo-sceletal, MAVG,5 -,5 -, -,5 -, < working hours [h / week ],,5 -,5 -, -,5 -, Complaints as a function of working hours (NL [Factor scores] MAVG Musculo MAVG Psycho -,5 < working hours [h / week] employed workers,3,, Comparing EU und CC Trends Musculo-sceletal and psychovegetative disorders -, Musculo-CC Musculo-EU -, Psycho-CC Psycho-EU -,3 < (employed workers

5 Psychovegetative complaints as a function of working hours and shift work,3,, -, shift workers non shift workers Musculo-sceletal disorders as a function of working hours and environmental work load (noise, vibrations, etc,8,6,4, -, work load high very low -, < ,4 < Psychovegetative complaints and working hours by age group,3,, 5-4 years 5-39 years 4-54 years >55 years Flexible work hours -, -, -,3 (MAVG < Psychovegetative complaints by number and flexibility of working hours Musculosceletal disorders by number and flexibility of working hours,4,3,, flexibel regular,, flexible regular -, -, -, -,3 < MAVG EU Employed -, -,3 < MAVG FRG employed

6 Sleep problems under different kinds of flexible work hours S- V++ I+ S- V++ I- S+. S-. V++ V+. V-. I+. I-. Shift work Variability Influence,5,5 3 3,5 4 never always FRG, paper based survey Digestive problems under flexible work hours Stomach,,4,6,8, < low high > Heart Disease,5,,5,,5 < low high > Sleeping problems,5,,5, < low high > Ability to do the same job at the age of 6,,4,6,8 < positive negative > Psychosocial impairments

7 S- V++ I+ S- V++ I- S+. S-. V++ V+. V-. I+. I-. Effects on leisure activities,5,5 3 3,5 4 4,5 5 positive negative FRG, Internet survey Hours fit in with family and social life,,4,6,8,,4 < fit don't fit > S- V++ I+ S- V++ I- Effects of the working time arrangement on leisure time S+. S-. V++ V+. V-. I+. I-. Shift work Variablity Influence positive negative FRG, paper based Effects of the regularity of flexible work hours stomach or abdominal pain digestive problems nausea / lack of appetite belching / heartburn sleeping problems dizziness / vertigo restlessness / nervousness / heart pounding cluster breathing problems heart aches cluster cluster 3 cluster 4 dejection / sadness / headaches cluster Cluster 3 = regular Cluster 5 = irregular,4,3,, -, Psychovegetative complaints by number and flexibility of working hours flexibel regular Reported days lost due to work related deseases as a function of the number and flexibilty of working hours,5 -,5 [z-score] -, -,3 < MAVG EU Employed - -,5 diseases (flexible diseases (regular < working hours [h/week]

8 Working hours and productivity in the EU Productivity productivity / h 3 BE ' FR NL " IT $ IE # DK DE % * AT, FI & SE + 9 UK ES & 8 # 7 GR $ PT 6 * Source: Eurostat Working hours and productivity in the EU ' Source: Eurostat productivity / h productivity / week (productivity / h * h Working hours and productivity in the EU 5 ' BE FR " IT # 4 NL $ IE DE DK * AT %, FI UK & + & SE ES # 3 GR $ PT * Working hours and productivity in the EU Conclusions productivity / week (productivity / h * h 5 BE + NL FR + % + IT IE + $ + * DE DK + AT + & + * 4 FI UK + ' +, +, SE ES + $ + 3 GR & PT + # Non-standard working hours are already the standard Non-standard working hours increase the risk of safety, health and psychosocial impairments Some of the mechanisms for these detrimental effects are well known and / or can be derived from theory, e.g. via biological and social desynchronization

9 Conclusions ( It is important to transfer the available knowledge into occupational safety & health practice It is important to transfer this knowledge to the (social political parties involved It is important to develop political and shop floor strategies to avoid the adverse effects of non-standard working hours Conclusions (3 Besides applying the available evidence more research is needed on the theoretical background of these impairments more research is needed on effective intervention strategies, based on empirical evidence on the mechanisms of the effects of working time its chronometry, chronology, and dynamics on human well being and economic efficiency Thank you for your attention! for more information contact friedhelm.nachreiner@uni-oldenburg.de