Shift work, attitudes, and reported behavior: Some associations between individual characteristics and hours of work and leisure

Abstract

Explored relationships involving compatibility of hours scheduled for work and hours available for nonwork activities and each of several individual characteristics. 400 workers of 6 Canadian manufacturing companies completed a structured questionnaire on work and nonwork attitudes and reported behavior. Day-shift workers (a condition of high compatibility of work and nonwork hours) scored significantly higher relative to "other shift workers" (representing a low compatibility-of-hours condition) on measures of work need fulfillment and of overall mental health. They also expected to stay longer in their work organizations and reported more participation in voluntary organizations. Findings are discussed in terms of alternative explanations and needed adjustments for further explorations of the compatibility-of-hours concept. (9 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)