MOSCOW, November 27. The key factors influencing the well-being of shift workers at industrial enterprises were found out by psychologists from NArFU. The result of the study was the development of recommendations for maintaining the optimal condition of personnel, preserving their health and longevity, the university press service reported.
As university specialists noted, in Russia the rotational method is widely used in the oil and gas industry, construction and other areas where personnel are required on a temporary basis. This method of working in unusual conditions far from home and relatives can be associated with certain difficulties and cause fatigue and stress among workers.
Scientists of the Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov (NAFU) studied the condition of workers at industrial enterprises during the entire shift period (from 2 weeks to 1 month), and also identified key psychosocial factors that have both a positive and negative impact on them.
The study showed that the most stressful days for oil exploration personnel (with the “30 in 30” regime) are the first days of the shift due to the period of “getting used to”, getting into work. These also include shift change days (when employees working on the day shift change to the night shift and vice versa) and the last days of the shift, which is more relevant to employees working both day and night shifts.
“< p>“At the same time, the hardest thing is for employees who work the first two weeks on day shifts, and then two on night shifts. This is due to the fact that after intensive work during the first two weeks of 12 hours on day shifts, a decrease in internal resources occurs, which creates difficulties when switching to less familiar and comfortable night shifts,” said the associate professor Department of Psychology, Higher School of Psychology and Pedagogical Education of NArFU Yana Korneeva.
The condition of the workers was assessed using instrumental methods based on indicators of the cardiovascular system. Of the variety of psychosocial factors (123 of them were assessed), social support factors had a greater influence on maintaining the optimal state of employees, for example, the willingness of colleagues to listen to work problems, as well as a clear formulation of responsibilities and the absence of tasks that contradict personal values.
It has been revealed that during monotonous work, the inclusion of new interesting and complex tasks helps to improve the condition of employees. The importance of correct feedback from the immediate supervisor, listening to information about emerging problems, understanding and assistance in solving them in order to maintain the optimal state of employees throughout the entire period has also been established.
“We prepared detailed conclusions for all study participants, in which we showed how their condition changed every day of the shift, what internal resources and capabilities they have, what can add restrictions and requires development. At the end of the conclusion, a number of practical recommendations are given,” Korneeva said .
According to her, this work is very important, because by understanding their condition and tracking its dynamics, employees can take more care of their health.
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As the authors explained, there are often situations when a person says that he feels good, but the instruments show an acceptable or maximum acceptable level of condition, which is characterized by tension. This suggests that it is important to conduct a comprehensive assessment of employees’ conditions and give them feedback.
“Of course, the methods we use are known. These include hardware methods, testing, and surveys, but originality lies in their comprehensive simultaneous use,” said Korneeva.
In addition, the uniqueness of the results obtained is that NArFU scientists conduct all their research through scientific expeditions, traveling to industrial facilities and fields and staying with employees for the entire shift period. The university has been conducting research on this topic for more than 20 years.
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