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Shiftwork Mindset

The Traditional Approach: Shifting the Burden to Employees

The problems generated by shiftwork operations are complex and create a wide range of challenges that demand attention. Instead of searching out the root causes of these shiftwork problems, companies historically have taken a "shifting the burden" approach, saying to individual employees: "Here is compensation for your shiftwork inconveniences; now, you make it work." But shifting the burden to employees has not worked. And, more importantly, it never will work as a framework or mental model for solving the challenges created by 24/7 operations.

Most managers, in both operations and human resources roles, currently start from the belief or mindset that shiftwork is undesirable. Based on that mindset, they have tried to find incentives to motivate employees to accept the undesirable nature of shiftwork. This traditional approach reflects a person-centered mindset about shiftwork problems. Specifically, managers have tried to "buy" themselves out of common shiftwork problems by paying a shift premium or differential, and then, leaving shiftwork employees on their own to solve whatever "personal" problems they might have as a result of their shiftwork assignment.

Now, ask yourself: Does the traditional, person-centered mindset address the root causes of shiftwork performance challenges in 24/7 operations? Does this traditional mindset solve the underlying problems—the "hidden costs" of shiftwork—or is it just an easy solution that temporarily lessens the symptoms of shiftwork, leaving the root causes unaltered?

If you are dissatisfied with the traditional approach, explore a more effective shiftwork mindset—one that is grounded in systems thinking and root-cause analysis.

Generating Round-The-Clock Readiness

In today's highly-competitive marketplace, a business that focuses just on reducing shiftwork symptoms will not survive. The goal must be to change the whole vision of 24/7 operations—to invent a new paradigm or mindset. Round-The-Clock Systems envisions that new mindset as round-the-clock readiness: the ability to generate and sustain peak performance levels, regardless of the time of day or day of the week. Any lesser vision will not suffice.

With this broader mindset at work, we can begin to seek solutions in all the places where the challenges of round-the-clock management typically exist. Operating in this larger context, we can begin to examine the underlying culture and structures that create effective or ineffective shiftwork conditions. In short, we can look at the "whole elephant," the entire system of 24/7 work organizations. When we take this systems approach, seeing the whole elephant, we can identify the multiple dimensions to the problems of round-the-clock operations. We still see that there is an individual dimension to the challenges, one that stems from the human challenges inherent in evening, night, early-morning and weekend work hours. But now we also see that there is an organizational level to the problems—and to the solutions as well.

The Right Approach: Systems Thinking

From the vantage point of systems thinking, we are able to see that there is not a single, linear relationship between a shiftwork-related problem and a specific solution. Rather, reality in 24/7 organizations looks more like a system image, with multiple causes and interconnected solutions.

Viewed from this systems mindset, we see that there could be at least five different sources of performance problems in round-the-clock operations, and often multiple, linked strategies for solving any given problem. Leveraging the wrong system element could be a costly endeavor. In today's competitive climate, it pays to assess the whole round-the-clock system first in order to establish the source of the problem in your work organization. Only then can you be sure you are taking the right step towards round-the-clock readiness in your 24/7 operations, namely, tackling the challenges at their root source.

Conducting a complete 24/7 Work System Analysis will provide you with the baseline data you need for understanding your current workplace in detail. Only then can you really know which elements in your round-the-clock work system are appropriate targets for change.

As a preliminary analysis of the level of round-the-clock readiness in your workplace, we can send you a free copy of our Round-The-Clock Readiness Diagnosis™. This diagnostic tool is especially effective when used with your entire Leadership Team or a joint management/labor team. Register your Diagnosis request, and we will send you a password-protected link to this online organizational diagnosis tool.

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