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THE 12‐HOUR WORK DAY: DIFFERING EMPLOYEE REACTIONS
Author(s) -
BREAUGH JAMES A.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
personnel psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.076
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1744-6570
pISSN - 0031-5826
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1983.tb01437.x
Subject(s) - schedule , staffing , psychology , shift work , work schedule , midnight , night work , noon , circadian rhythm , social psychology , applied psychology , operations management , management , engineering , medicine , scheduling (production processes) , nursing , physics , astronomy , neuroscience , economics
This field study examined the reactions of non‐exempt employees (N=671) to utilizing a “compressed word schedule” (i.e., 12‐hour shifts) for staffing a continuous process plant which operated 24‐hours per day/seven days per week. The 12‐hour shifts were fixed with shifts changing at noon and at midnight. Based upon previous research, it was hypothesized that employees who had actually worked the 12‐hour schedule would be more positive towards it than would employees who had never worked it. This was found to be the case. For example, those who had worked the 12‐hour schedule saw the compressed schedule as being less fatiguing, saving on commuting cost and time, providing a more regular sleep pattern, and providing more usable time off. A second hypothesis concerned only those working the 12‐hour shift. It was hypothesized that those employees working the 12 PM to 12 AM shift would be “less out of phase” with physiological and social rhythms and, thus, react more positively to the 12‐hour shift than employees working the 12 AM to 12 PM shift. This hypothesis was strongly supported.