Shiftwork & Telecommunicators

Shiftwork is never easy on the body and very difficult to get accustomed to . In the case of telecommunicators it’s a job requirement the city never sleeps and nor do our services.  Along with the body , shiftwork is hard on the mind and soul. Our biological clocks are associated with our body’s circadian rhythms. These rythms help explain we are programmed to sleep at night and be awake during the day. The “biological clock is located right behind the eyes. It is activated by the light that comes in through our eyes and as a result shiftwork will force the circadian rhythm out of sync.

Did You Know: ” Our circadian system is only able to adjust to a change of an hour or two a day at most. When a person works a night shift it results in a sudden 8 hour change which is like flying from Chicago to Europe.” – http://shiftworker.tripod.com/index.html

How shift work is directly linked with time management?

“Time management is important to all businesses, but those with shift work operations face unique time management challenges. Usually, a business may struggle to manage time efficiently because it is hampered more by external interruptions, such as telephone calls, meetings, visitors stopping in or computer/system complications vs. internal challenges. In a shift work operation, the challenges impacting time management are most often internal.” -Circadian Age, Inc. – ‘Working Nights’

Issues that impact time management within a shift work include but are not limited to…

• Lack of pertinent  information – If you play close attention you will see that there are constant updates on television, radio and social media about events that occur during the day. In the night a lot of social media is slowed down, people may not be online as often, the news is a recap of what has happened during the day and the radio can be limited just songs on auto play with out the voice of a DJ.

• Lack of planning causing unclear objectives- By nature we are more alert during the day, the exchange of information is more readily available, and often people are able to make plans and important decisions with a higher number of contributes. As where in the night the telecommunications on the front line may not have been involved or as involved in the decision and planning making stage, because simply put they may have been catching up on rest. The disconnect between the day workers and night works may cause for confusions in the objectives.

• Poor scheduling- When the body’s circadian rhythms is off, one is more susceptible  to become exhausted and even ill. This causes workers to call in sick and when calling another employee to fill in will also lead to their circadian rhythms to get out of whack . Thus it becomes a never ending cycle and a growing problem

• Crisis management planning is done during the day and may not always considerate of the extenuating circumstances that night workers are face with.