Effects of Shift Working System on Employees' Family and Social Lives

Effects of Shift Working System on Employees' Family and Social Lives

KACMAZ, Recep
CELALETTIN, Serinkan

Family is considered to be the smallest unit of life, on human life, and an institution whose effect continues from the birth to the end of life. The family is born from the culture of its own society and the main influencing factors in shaping the family are the social and cultural aspects. The factors that are effective in re-shaping the family institution are, the changes of the principles that are effective and dominant in the general structure of society, the changes in the economy and political life and the changes in the religious and moral culture. Industrial society system has led to spacious and profound changes in the general life of the society. Changes in general work and life conditions have influenced the family negatively in fulfilling its functions as required for modern conditions. The basic functions of the family can be considered biological, economic, love, protection, socialization, religion, education and the family as a function of evaluation of leisure time. With the process of industrialization, families are shrinking from traditional /extended family to core family. For this reason, some functions of families are transferred to other institutions (careers, nursery, kindergarten, etc.), but, for children, none of them can provide psychological satisfaction by his parents. In 2010, in Family Values Survey in Turkey related to what matters are very important in people life, the family is in the first place with 99.3% rate. This result reveals that the family is indispensable in Turkish society. In another study held in 2010 by using Family Assessment Scale, it is determined that as the number of members icrease, the power of the family weakens in fulfilling the functions and the most problematic function of the family is found to be not showing interest to each other. At the beginning of functions, hindered due to the increased number of individuals, behavior control and communication functions come. Technological progress in the first half of the twentieth century has developed production-enhancing and efficiency rising methods to solve the needs of modern society. This situation has caused to the discovery of the new systems in terms of better use of natural resources and human power. At the result of the specified developments, non-classical and nonstandard working systems in general and particularly shift working system have taken place. The shift working system, applied due to some economic, social and socio-political reasons, brings problems such as redundancy in work accidents, the disruption of body's circadian rhythm, degradation of workers' health, needs are not provided full and on time, disruption of family scheme and disconnection of social environment relations. When related literature is reviewed, the studies that the effects of shift working system on employee health status, sleeping patterns, eating habits were conducted are observed. The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of shift working system on the employees' family and social life. Due to the fact that employee has different roles in business, family and social life; this study, will create the idea of employee in whole system approach on the scientific studies on this issue in the future and in business & family policies, decision-making and applications, and will shed light on finding solutions on improvement of employee's present problems. For sample of study, 10 shift working nurses in the private hospitals, 10 shift working employees in the textile industry , and 10 shift working security guards in private security industry in Denizli, Turkey, total of 30 shift employees are chosen. In this study, as a method of data collection, semi-formal pre-prepared interview questions are applied to each shift employee by one-on-one consultation. Keywords: Family, Functions of Family, Shift Working System, Shift Employee's Family Life.

Article
PeerReviewed

ISSN 978-9958-834-23-3

International Burch University

2013-05-10

1603