Shift and night work management in European companies

In Europe, until half a century ago, shift work was used almost exclusively to provide essential services such as health, transport, communications and public safety or to facilitate particular technological processes in the steel and chemical industries. Today, following the globalization of products and services and the need for competitiveness among companies there has been a change in working hours, in order to guarantee continuous work cycles for 24 hours. The disruption of circadian rhythms related to shift and night work may favor the onset of the “shift work sleep disorder”, a disease characterized by insomnia and excessive sleepiness. These alterations represent, in turn, a risk factor for other health issues, injuries, accidents, lower productivity. EU and national legislations on occupational health and safety provide for a series of protection measures of shift workers including risk assessment, information and training, health surveillance and health promotion. Moreover, occupational health promotion assumes a strategic value for companies, especially if it is linked to the reduction of additive or synergistic effects on the health of both occupational and lifestyle risks. The integration of economic sciences, life sciences and ergonomics in the organization of shift systems is an emerging need for companies. The literature provides evidence that strategic health promotion interventions in the workplace lead to a return on investment. Therefore, in the context of the future of work, the organization of shifts according to ergonomic criteria must be seen by the companies more as an opportunity than as a cost.