Introduction Of A Compressed Working Week

The negative impacts of shift work on workers’ health such as fatigue and sleep which are the main complain among the staff, job performance, psychosocial well-being, and job dissatisfaction have been

If the workplace of today could be characterized by a single theme, it would most likely focus on the continual presence of change. Dramatic changes in technology, the marketplace and the workforce have compelled organizations to re-evaluate not only the competitiveness of their products, but also the core ways in which work is performed. It is out of this pursuit for continued survival that organizations have been faced with the notion of varying work-schedules beyond the traditional hours of nine to five. This paper will explore the societal and business changes that have led to a proliferation in flexible work patterns. This paper will also address the benefits and disadvantages of flexible work patterns for

Before introducing the workplace issues related to the development of four-day workweek, a clear definition of this schedule is needed. According to Department of Labor (n.d.), “A workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours, or seven consecutive 24-hour periods. The workweek does not have to coincide with the calendar week, but instead it may begin on any day of the week and at any hour of the day.” It might be the “four-day, 32-hour workweek – more leisure, less work” (Wernette 1), or the “three-day, 40 hour, compressed work week” that Vega

After the global financial crisis in the 1970s, British labour market experienced a great shift in the organization and the new distribution of human resources (Hughes and Fergusson, 2004:95). It is undeniable that this economic recession had brought huge challenges to British economic development. The managers of organizations realized the significance of rising to the occasion in order to remain competitive power, which resulted in the emergence of flexible time work systems (ibid: 96). More specifically, zero-hour contracts have been applied. Pardey (2013:6) points out that zero-hour contracts are labour contracts between employers and employees which offer uncertain work and unfixed working hours. According to Tovey (2013), the study from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), nearly 3.1% of British labour force has

* The importance of work life balance and related legislation concerning holidays, rest periods, working hours and night

The first topic focused on in an article by Stimpfel et al. (2012) looked at the effect of longer shifts on nurses. Compared to the past, nurses are working twelve-hour shifts, instead of eight-hour shifts. The reason for these changes in shift lengths is for it to allow for nurses to have more flexibility in their schedules and to give them more time at home. This study revealed that the hours actually worked by nurses are unpredictable. Due to the fluctuations of patient needs and unanticipated staffing on the unit, leads to nurses having to work over their scheduled time (Stimpfel et al. 2012). This study also pointed out that there are no national policies for nurses that dictate the maximum number of hours a nurse can work. Nurses often end up working several hours over their shift because they feel forced into working those hours and thereby leading to burnout.

(Senteniel) Additional studies show risk of errors and close calls were related to longer shift length and were associated with decreased attentiveness. Nurses also suffer higher rates of occupational injury when working shifts more than 12 hours. (Joint Commision, 20111) The ANA acknowledges the relationship between working long hours and increased risk for sleep disturbances, injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, gastrointestinal problems, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and adverse reproductive outcomes. (NANN, 2012) In addition to clinical outcomes, there is an association between nurses who worked 13 or more hours in the hospital and lack of communication with patients regarding pain control. Burnout is common among nurses working long shifts and they are more than likely to leave their job within the first year. Shifts scheduled for 12 hours often exceed that timeframe, as many as 40% of the work shifts logged for their study exceeded 12 hours. (Martin, 2012) There are many reasons for fatigue, but shift length is the one that is most obvious and easy to fix. It is no wonder for nurse fatigue when 12 hour shifts are the norm. Twelve hour shifts are standard practice even though the Institute of Medicine recommends limiting them. At a recent nursing management congress Cole Edmonson stated that 12 hour shifts may cause more problems than they solve. While research is aiding us comprehend the dangers nurse fatigue brings to patients and nurses themselves, he called 12 hour shifts “a dead idea whose time has passed”. Eliminating 12 hour shifts is obvious if the fact is acknowledged that nurse fatigue is a serious problem. (Hendren,

This paper includes a reference list of literature relating to the pros and cons of changing a five day school week to a four day school week. In general, the literature seems to indicate that most of the reasoning behind this change is to lower energy and fuel costs as well as cut budgets to an affordable rate. Academic progress is evaluated in some cases and discussion of what decisions have been made in the use of the fifth unscheduled day have been researched. Some suggest to use the “off” day for professional development as well as an opportunity to offer additional student extracurricular activities. The difficulty of finding childcare for the unscheduled school day seemed to be an issue that was more prevalent in suburban school districts rather than rural districts. Each individual school district had to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the shortened week and decide what worked best for their students, teachers, community.

The report is based on responses collected from more than 1000 employers and 2000 employees, considered UK workforce only and was conducted in early January 2012. The report presents an in-depth view of the types of flexible working provisions offered by employers including part-time working, working from home, flexitime, compressed hours, career breaks/sabbaticals, mobile working, term-time working, secondments, annual hours and time off work in the community.

I have supervised PEO Steve Cravero #65944 since January 2017. PEO Cravero is a very knowledgeable officer and was assigned to work as a floater on B Platoon. As a floater he would be assigned to work in different Divisons when the regular assigned officer is absent. PEO Cravero is very familiar with most of the Divisions at Parking West however he was not always happy working in some Divisions. During this evaluation period PEO Cravero has only met his set performance two out of ten Compress Work Week Cycles. PEO Cravero is an Officer who strives for success and requested being assigned to a be permanently assigned an area whenever there is an opening becomes available. As of July 2017 he was permanently assigned to work in 23

The positive effect of 12 hour shifts on nurses include a shorter workweek, enhanced work-life balance, flexibility, and better continuity of care for patients. Nurses typically work 10 days a pay period during eight hour shifts. However, working 12 hour shifts allows nurses to work six days a pay period. Resulting in a reduction of four days work. Next, it gives nurses the sense of balance between work and their life. A research conducted in Australia after the introduction of 12 hour shifts states, “92 percent of nurses noticed 12 hour shifts gave them greater flexibility and 83 percent noticed it gave them more time to spend with their loved ones” (Aveyard et al., 2016/ 2017). Working less days means freedom away from job related activity,

Shorter workdays rob employees of full-time benefits. This problem is doubled when one calculates in the fact that shorter workdays mean less pay. If an employee becomes sick or injured, it will cost him greatly to receive healthcare for it because of less benefits and less pay.

The importance of work life balance and related legislation concerning holidays, rest periods, working hours and night working

The 4 day work week is not a new idea. It is one that has had its share of controversies over the years. Introduced in the 1970’s the idea of the 4 days work week has been making a comeback as of lately. There are several issues to look at here. One of the main statements in regards to it is that productivity will decrease because of fatigue. A 10 hour work day is too long. On the flipside, another of the main issues pointed out by proponents is that productivity will increase because you will have a workforce with higher morale. In this paper, we will discuss

This paper explores the pros and cons of nurses working long shifts in regards to the nurses and patients alike. Some of the positives for the nurses include: having more days off per week, a more flexible schedule, and fewer commutes to work. In regards to the patient, there are fewer patient handoffs, which is thought to allow for better continuity of care. Some of the negative aspects of nurses working long shifts include: feeling burnt out, intending to leave their job, increased chance of making errors, impaired driving ability, health-related issues, and potential breakdowns. In regards to the negative aspects for patients, patient satisfaction suffers as the length of the shift the nurse is working increases. Furthermore, patients of nurses working long shifts also give the hospital a poorer rating overall, stating that they generally would not recommend it to family and friends. While there is no clear solution to this dilemma, it is certainly an issue that should be addressed by nurse leaders as the safety of nurses and patients is of paramount importance.