Working Nights

Seratonin Levels Feed Anger

Many studies have shown that low levels of serotonin are also associated with anger, depression and anxiety. Fluctuations of serotonin levels in the brain, which often occur when someone hasn’t eaten or is feeling stressed, affect brain regions that enable people to regulate anger. So when stressed or hungry, people are often unable to manage their anger. This is especially relevant to shift workers as the stress of working outside regular daytime hours is significant and good eating habits of shift workers are often lacking (self-reported). A new study published September 15, 2011 in the journal Biological Psychiatry has shown that individuals who might be predisposed to aggression were the most sensitive to changes in serotonin depletion.

Do you Learn from your Mistakes?

People who think they will learn from their mistakes have a different brain reaction to mistakes than people who think intelligence is fixed. Jason S. Moser, of Michigan State University, who collaborated on a new study, found that people who think intelligence is malleable say things like, “When the going gets tough, I put in more effort” or “If I make a mistake, I try to learn and figure it out.” On the other hand, people who think that they can’t get smarter will not take opportunities to learn from their mistakes. People who think they can learn from their mistakes did better after making a mistake; they successfully bounced back after an error. Their brains also reacted differently, producing a bigger second signal, the one that says “I see that I’ve made a mistake, so I should pay more attention” Moser says.

Dealing with People on a Power Trip?

Individuals in roles that possess power but lack status have a tendency to engage in activities that demean others. The experiment demonstrated that “individuals in high-power/low-status roles chose more demeaning activities for their partners than did those in any other combination of power and status roles.” It feels bad to be in a low status position and the power that goes with that role gives these workers a way to take action on those negative feelings.
©2011 Circadian Age, Inc. ‘Working Nights’

Shift Workers Save Each Other – the Chilean Rescue Tale

All around the world people are celebrating the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for ten long weeks. And, at Working Nights we’re celebrating too! Like everyone else, we’re ecstatic that the trapped miners were brought to safety. But we’re also celebrating from a shift worker perspective! This is a story about the good that happens when shift workers join together to help other shift workers. This tale is a collaboration of shift workers – from all walks of life – miners, government workers from multiple countries, small business men from the U.S. and Chile, and others.

In this case, employees from Layne Christianson Co., whose largest business is drilling water wells, and Geotec Boyles, SA, Lane Christianson’s partner in Chile, worked round-the-clock for 33 days to save the trapped miners. The miners were buried nearly 2,300 feet underground after a cave-in. The Layne/Geotec workers drilled a 2,300-foot tunnel that was 28 inches in diameter; it was large enough for the 26-inch rescue capsule to fit through. Others were working 24/7 as well. NASA designers worked with the Chilean Navy to design the 13 foot long, 925 pound rescue capsule which the Chilean’s named Phoenix.

Achieving success took whole-hearted co-operation among all parties involved, starting with the miners themselves. These 33 men lived on rations normally meant to sustain them for no more than two or three days. Under the extraordinary leadership of their foreman, the men shared what little they had. They shared the conviction that each man’s survival depended on all of the others down there surviving too. The miners’ only contact with the outside world was through tiny drill holes used to send down food, water, medicine and games.

Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, and mining workers have historically worked long hours in difficult conditions. But 33 days straight takes the cake! Hopefully all shift workers that participated in this rescue, and all people working shift work will celebrate this great accomplishment.

©Circadian Age, Inc. ‘Working Nights’

Differences Between Men and Women at Work – We Need Both Sexes!

Women continue to be a significant force in the workplace; the numbers of working women are gaining on working men. The Bureau of Labor statistics reported this June that women held 49.8% of the U.S jobs. Here are some trends:

• Women have been gaining the vast majority of positions in the few sectors of the economy that are growing (health care, education, and government).

• Through June, men had lost 74% of the 6.4 million jobs eliminated since the recession began in December 2007. Men have lost more than 3 million jobs in construction and manufacturing alone.

• The gender hiring trend is really extreme in local government’s 14.6 million-person workforce. Cities, schools, water authorities and other local jurisdictions have cut 86,000 men during the recession – while adding 167,000 women.

• As a result, at the end of October the jobless rate for women was 8.1% compared to 10.7% for men.

What do these trends mean for men?
Read this article…

Knowledge of Brain Research will Separate Successful Operations from Others

Research about the brain is leading to amazing results. New discoveries can help us understand ways that the brain may restrict shift workers from maximizing their potential – and – give us more ideas about what can be done about it. Topics ranging from how training provides our brains with greater processing speed and an enhanced ability to multi-task to how our brains control our reaction to invasion of our personal space are covered in this post. Whether its figuring out how people from different cultures can get along better to why getting more stage four sleep is important to learning from training, each of these new brain related studies are important for human resources, safety, and health professionals in any shift work environment to be aware of. And, they are critical for shift workers themselves to understand, as well.
Read this article…

Is Moonlighting Poised to Return, and if so, What Should Employers and Employees Do About it?

As the economy turns, it’s likely that more people will start taking second jobs. Added employment security and the need to double up on paychecks to make up for losses during the recession will drive people in this direction. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 7.6 million Americans held multiple jobs during the first five months of this year, or 5% of all employees, about the same as last year. During earlier economic boom periods, moonlighting has increased. For example, at the end of 1989 over 7.2 million Americans worked more than one job, an increase of 25% since 1985. And, by 1997, 8.5% worked more than one job, almost another 20% increase. Now, during more difficult financial times, perhaps it’s not surprising that the numbers are down a bit.

But, the downward trend seems poised for a quick uptick as the economy improves and employers supplement their workforce with part timers rather than bulk up on full-time employees.
Read this article…

Safety at Work for an Aging Population of Workers

Everywhere we turn there are articles about more seniors in the workforce. This is not a new trend, but the pattern has clearly stepped up as a result of the current recession. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 1977 and 2007, total employment in the US increased by 59%. Amazingly, employment of workers 65 and over had already increased 101% during this time! For men over 65, the 1977 to 2007 increase was 75%, but for women it was 147%. What does this mean for safety at work? We have a lot to do!
Read this article…

Working Nights Launches 2010 Calendar Season and Announces New Calendar for Health Care Workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Circadian Age, Inc. Announces Launch of New 2010 Working Nights Calendar for Health Care Workers

Boston, MA – (September 9, 2009) – Circadian Age, Inc., – ‘Working Nights’ - specializing in helping managers and employees of organizations with round the clock operations adjust to their unique lifestyles, announces its new 2010 calendar for health care workers. The calendar helps workers in hospitals, assisted living facilities, ambulance units, nursing care facilities, and health clinics face the work/life challenges they encounter as a result of their unusual, and often variable, work schedules.

“Medical workers experience tremendous stress on the job which can lead to fatigue and sleep impairment,” reports Betsy Connolly, Working Nights’ President. “Our calendar provides workers with meaningful tips about health and safety and an opportunity to better manage their lives when working shifts.”

The topics highlighted in the calendar all focus on related health and safety education and prevention for medical workers. February’s topic is Reducing Ergonomic Risks. According to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2.5% of nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants experienced Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) – injuries or illnesses that affect the connective tissues of the body such as muscles, nerves, joints, tendons, cartilage, or spinal discs. This rate is more than seven times the average national rate of MSDs for all occupations. According to the report, almost 30 percent of all days away from work were related to MSDs. Preventing MSDs requires work scheduling that reduces the time of exposure to demanding work conditions and promotes healthful work–rest patterns.

With the increased use of on-line shift scheduling by health care employees, workers need to make sure that the shift schedules they sign up for maximize sleep opportunities to prevent fatigue related errors, provide adequate recovery periods to limit personal injury risk, and provide time for social activities with friends and family members. Other calendar topics include, Men and Women and Sleep, Managing Hazardous and Toxic Substances, Lowering Stress and Anxiety, New Tips about Caffeine, Restless Leg Syndrome and Vitamin Tips. The calendar incorporates color-coded stickers to help workers and their families manage their day-to-day lives.

For the full release please see Working Nights Calendar for Health Care Workers

Learning from Past Mistakes about Managing Overtime after a Recession

After the last recession was over in 2002, overtime spiked at many extended hours operations and so did accidents and injuries on the job. After a recession, managers are usually gun-shy about hiring and for good reason – they want to feel confident that demand is truly back so they don’t generate oversupply. There are starting to be some early signs of improvement in the current economic climate, which means we may see overtime starting to creep up soon. Now’s the time to start planning in order to prevent accidents and injuries resulting from overtime.
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It’s a Sad Labor Day for Many Shift Workers (and others too)!

According to the Department of Labor, here is how Labor Day came about and what it means:
“Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

Today is a sad Labor Day – too many workers are not able to contribute to the health of the country and are instead struggling to keep their own financial heads above water.
Read this article…

Workplace Bullying Increases Sleep Disorder Risk – Already a Problem for Shift Workers

Bullying in the workplace can range from one extreme – physical violence and homicide, to verbal insults, threats, teasing, ridiculing, and making false accusations – at the other end. Sometimes bullies use name-calling, talking about a person behind their back, ignoring a person, and making false accusations to set a co-worker up for failure. The targeted person may be a boss, insubordinate, or peer. No matter who’s being targeted, bullying in the workplace has been proven to decrease morale amongst all workers, and if allowed to continue, bullying will detrimentally impact business results, possibly in a material way. A new study has found that current or past bullying is associated with increased sleep disturbances. Makes sense, right? A person who is being bullied is probably a nervous wreck, so having trouble sleeping seems logical. But, it turns out that bullying has detrimental effects on sleep even when it’s being experienced indirectly – by observing it as a co-worker.
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Feeling the Impacts of Chronic Stress Brings You Back to Old Habits

Do you feel frazzled and overwhelmed? Are you having trouble sleeping? Are you anxious and impatient? These are just some of the symptoms of chronic stress. According to a new study, the effects of chronic stress force us back into old habits. And this may actually cause us to make bad decisions because in some situations, we are better off inhibiting a habit and instead using a goal oriented strategy – an effort that will force us to approach the situation differently. But when we are stressed we are more likely to just fall back on our habitual approach to dealing with the situation as opposed to being creative and forging a new path.
Read this article…

Positive Benefits of Working Shift Work

Let’s face it, many people who work shift work only talk about the negative. But for some, it’s the positive aspects that lead the way. There are certain lifestyle benefits that can come from working shifts. For example, some people choose to work shift work for social, financial, or lifestyle reasons. Read this article…

Ten Secrets to Good Communication

Have you ever had to talk with someone about a topic that you just knew would cause either you or the other person to be very uncomfortable? Unfortunately at work, home, or in other personal settings, personalities may clash, or issues that need to be discussed are so “hot” that it’s almost like a volcano errupting. Discussing safety issues at work can be one of these topics that causes angst in communication between otherwise very calm and relaxed people. But, safety problems have to be addresses, so we need to learn how to talk about them. Read this article…

Lowering Stress and Anxiety for Shift Workers (and for others too!)

Stress and anxiety are normal parts of life. Sometimes we all need a little angst to keep us going: to make the best presentation, ace the test, or get the job offer. But over time, the effects of too much tension can be mentally and physically taxing.

Extended periods of stress can cause destructive changes in the body, such as depression or a suppressed immune system, potentially leading to heart disease, stroke, or cancer. Stress and anxiety can be felt physically, appearing as an increased heart rate and high blood pressure, sweating, dry mouth, tight muscles, twitching, abdominal pain, and headaches. Emotional responses to stress may include feeling restless, being unable to concentrate, and talking negatively to yourself.

Shift workers experience unique challenges in their life and jobs that can lead to increased tension. Without proper planning, work/life/family balance can get completely out of synch as a result of working rotating shifts or long hours. As a result of the struggle to adapt to ever changing work schedules, shift workers often don’t get enough sleep.

While most sleep experts suggest seven to eight hours of sleep is needed to feel well-rested, most people don’t get this much, and shift workers get even less than the day time population. The National Institute of Health has reported that people who work at night or have frequent major shifts in their work hours, or who have inactive lifestyles, are at a greater risk of developing insomnia. Many shift workers also report that they don’t exercise frequently, so the problem only gets worse. Read this article…

Mental Health Conditions are on the Increase…and Shift Working Companies Should Take Notice

According to a report in the August 2009 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, treatment for mental health conditions is becoming more common in the US. The article has several explanations for why this may be, including patient and medical providers having a broader understanding of the need for mental health treatment, recent significant outreach by nonprofit groups promoting mental health care, and the growing public acceptance of mental health treatments. A related outcome – antidepressants are now the most commonly prescribed class of medications in the US. Read this article…