December 24, 2003—Extended hours operations with employees on the job outside of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. have significantly higher rates of absenteeism and turnover, according to the sixth annual Shiftwork Practices survey issued recently by Circadian Technologies. Turnover, absenteeism, and fatigue levels were particularly high at health care facilities, the survey reported.
Managers at 10% of extended hours facilities participating in the survey reported that their employees are severely fatigued, up from 6% in 2002. The survey found that workers’ compensation claims are 15 times higher at extended hours operations with severe fatigue problems than at those reporting no fatigue problems. It also found that facilities banning employee napping, have workers’ compensation costs four times higher than those that do not prohibit napping.
Nearly two-thirds of employers pay a shift differential to both salaried and hourly employees as an incentive to work non-daytime hours; the average hourly wage for non-salaried extended hours workers was $19.16 in 2003, compared with $15.45 for their daytime counterparts, an increase from 2002. Yet extended hours workers continue to receive less employee benefits. For example, only 18% of facilities with extended hours offer company medical services during non-daytime hours, and less than 1% offer on-site child care for all shifts.
Specialized lifestyle training programs for employees, or for employees and their families, providing them with specific strategies for coping with sleep, health safety, and family difficulties, have been shown to be the most effective countermeasure to turnover and health issues related to extended hours work. Facilities offering no lifestyle training programs have an average turnover rate of 11.4%, compared with 7.6% for those offering training to employees only, and 2.9% for those offering training to employees and family members.
Results from Circadian’s latest survey are based on responses from managers at 550 extended hours facilities in the US and Canada, representing more than 130,000 full-time and 28,000 part-time shiftworkers. Covering all industry sectors, it is reportedly the only survey tracking pay, productivity, safety, health, and benefits for the US’ approximately 24 million extended hours workers, half of whom are in white-collar occupations. This year’s survey was expanded to determine benchmark rates for turnover, absenteeism, and other key performance measurements.
An executive summary of Circadian’s 2004 Shiftwork Practices survey can be obtained by contacting Tracy Maddaloni at 781/676-6924.
