Night shift, health and compensation
March 15 2015 By Abi Giwa
A night shift worker (Courtesy: francishurt.blogspot)
Carlos lives and works in New York City. During a recent conversation, he said he is working more hours these days and sleeping less, because there would be a time he will sleep without waking. The message is clear and understandable.
Many people are in Carlos' shoes. They don't allow threat of impaired health or untimely death bother them. To them, one has to do what has to be done.
There is rent or mortgage to be paid. There are other utilities bills to be paid. No creditor will take excuses instead of getting paid. Why do people have to sleep more at home rather than be at work making money? Well, health specialists have warned again and again that enough sleep is good for health than skipping sleep and hoping to make up for it later.
Today, another news report in the BBC say study has shown that not having enough sleep may lead to obesity and diabetes. The statement is made by a team from two universities, from a study of loss of hours of sleep in weekdays and weekend. We need sleep and there is a need to satisfy nature. Maintaining the balance has led to a conflict. Since no one wants to live a beggarly life by being jobless, tendency to cheat nature by taking any work has become common routine.
Naturally, the night is meant for sleep and not for something else. But modern necessities and labor requirement has thrown the arrangement in quagmire. Reports have shown that shift workers risk Type 2 diabetes and obesity. What are they expected to do? Throw away their jobs and not work or seek more compensation from employers for doing the night work or should employers be made to pay more for people doing night work or shift work?
Some people said there are organizations that pay more for shift and night duties and that there are also organizations that don't care a hoot about compensating shift and night workers. Yet when a worker is found to fall asleep on duty, he of she is fired for cheating. If everyone working shift and night down tools, what would happen to industries and the economy?
Richie, a New York resident who has done shift and night work and still has one night a week working night described night work as health wrecker. He said he decidedly abandoned one of the two nights he previously worked and discovered what he had missed in term of sleeping at night. He hails companies that compensates their workers who work shift and night duties and wondered why there are companies that don't compensate their workers for the shift and night work. He recommends that rather than have some workers do shift and night work endlessly, companies should make every worker take part in sharing the burden of shift and night work by rotating the morning, afternoon and night work among all workers and that no worker should have the privilege of working permanent morning while others are condemned to shift and night work. However, he said there are people who choose to shift and do night work to help at home. Examples he said are from families who cannot pay day-care to take care of their children due to the cost. He said if one does not have a need to do shift and night work and the employers needs to have one do it, there ought to be a form of compensation.
"I don't like night work because it will affect my brain. It will take me off rhythm and I will not be able to think correctly," a security officer who is also a student at Nassau Community College, Long Island, New York, said. He insisted that there is no way he can manage night shift without it affecting his sleeping pattern and that it will give him short temper. He said he will be happy if he gets. Night work that will compensate for the inconvenience that arises from working in the night. In fact, he advocate for government regulations for people doing night shift to be compensated.
Many people are in Carlos' shoes. They don't allow threat of impaired health or untimely death bother them. To them, one has to do what has to be done.
There is rent or mortgage to be paid. There are other utilities bills to be paid. No creditor will take excuses instead of getting paid. Why do people have to sleep more at home rather than be at work making money? Well, health specialists have warned again and again that enough sleep is good for health than skipping sleep and hoping to make up for it later.
Today, another news report in the BBC say study has shown that not having enough sleep may lead to obesity and diabetes. The statement is made by a team from two universities, from a study of loss of hours of sleep in weekdays and weekend. We need sleep and there is a need to satisfy nature. Maintaining the balance has led to a conflict. Since no one wants to live a beggarly life by being jobless, tendency to cheat nature by taking any work has become common routine.
Naturally, the night is meant for sleep and not for something else. But modern necessities and labor requirement has thrown the arrangement in quagmire. Reports have shown that shift workers risk Type 2 diabetes and obesity. What are they expected to do? Throw away their jobs and not work or seek more compensation from employers for doing the night work or should employers be made to pay more for people doing night work or shift work?
Some people said there are organizations that pay more for shift and night duties and that there are also organizations that don't care a hoot about compensating shift and night workers. Yet when a worker is found to fall asleep on duty, he of she is fired for cheating. If everyone working shift and night down tools, what would happen to industries and the economy?
Richie, a New York resident who has done shift and night work and still has one night a week working night described night work as health wrecker. He said he decidedly abandoned one of the two nights he previously worked and discovered what he had missed in term of sleeping at night. He hails companies that compensates their workers who work shift and night duties and wondered why there are companies that don't compensate their workers for the shift and night work. He recommends that rather than have some workers do shift and night work endlessly, companies should make every worker take part in sharing the burden of shift and night work by rotating the morning, afternoon and night work among all workers and that no worker should have the privilege of working permanent morning while others are condemned to shift and night work. However, he said there are people who choose to shift and do night work to help at home. Examples he said are from families who cannot pay day-care to take care of their children due to the cost. He said if one does not have a need to do shift and night work and the employers needs to have one do it, there ought to be a form of compensation.
"I don't like night work because it will affect my brain. It will take me off rhythm and I will not be able to think correctly," a security officer who is also a student at Nassau Community College, Long Island, New York, said. He insisted that there is no way he can manage night shift without it affecting his sleeping pattern and that it will give him short temper. He said he will be happy if he gets. Night work that will compensate for the inconvenience that arises from working in the night. In fact, he advocate for government regulations for people doing night shift to be compensated.
