Shift work and compatibility

Working from home has received a lot of attention in recent years. But not all employees are able to work from home. Professions involving shift work require great flexibility. We explain how compatibility can still be achieved and how companies can organize shift work.

Working at unusual times. Companies with their own production facilities, care services or parcel delivery companies have included references to shift work in almost every job description. Around 15 percent of the population regularly work in the evening or at night. Shift work is the norm in many industries. It is precisely because many people in shift work are committed to the health and well-being of others that a work-life balance and health-promoting framework is even more important in these professions. So what can companies do to make shift work family-friendly?

One of the most important success factors for family-friendly shift work is the consideration of different life situations. Whether raising children or caring for relatives - the individual coordination of different needs is the basis for an optimal shift structure. Personal preferences can prove to be a real advantage if, for example, "early risers" and "night owls" can be brought into a rhythm.

The burden of shift work must be distributed well and fairly across all shoulders of the workforce. Additional burdens, such as filling in when staff are ill, must be taken into account in the planning.

As an employer, you should ask yourself a few key questions in order to create the best possible framework conditions for shift work. The key challenges facing the company and your employees in relation to shift work need to be identified. Suitable measures must be developed with a focus on the individual situation of the company. At this point, it is worth taking a look at the requirements of work-life balance. What ideas do you and your employees have in this regard? Even small changes to shift planning can have a major impact on the delicate structure of work-life balance.

With this knowledge, concrete approaches for shift planning can be developed and innovative ideas introduced. This works best when those affected are directly involved in the design process. This is because they not only know their personal needs, but also the processes in the company. Here are some examples:

• Further training and qualification of employees, who can thus be deployed more widely and work in other shift schedules or even outside the shift model.
• Use of modern IT tools with which shift work schedules can be planned more individually.
• More time autonomy through annual working time accounts.
• More say for employees, e.g. through preferred work schedules.
• Reduction of night and weekend work where possible.

Another important keyword: flexibility. Shift work and work-life balance work best when employees are given as much autonomy as possible. Voluntariness can have a positive effect on shift planning, especially if shifts can be swapped spontaneously.