Comparing shift work tolerance across occupations, work arrangements, and gender

Background There are individual differences in shift work tolerance; however, we lack knowledge about how this is experienced across different occupations, sex and shift types. Aims The aim was to describe and investigate shift work tolerance, and individual differences in shift work tolerance, in two occupations, between men and women and between day/evening workers and rotating shift workers. Methods Cross-sectional questionnaire study. The sample was comprised of 315 retail workers and 410 police employees. Results Shift work tolerance was higher among police employees compared to retail workers, among men compared to women, and among day workers compared to evening/rotating shift workers. The difference was larger between occupations than between sex and shift type. Evening workers had more symptoms of shift work intolerance than rotating shift workers. Neuroticism and autonomy were related to all symptoms of shift work tolerance among retail workers, but not police employees. Conclusions It is important to consider the type of occupation and the work context when tailoring work arrangements to the individual. In this study, we describe and investigate different aspects of shift work tolerance to be able to provide guidelines for tailoring shift work to individual needs. The type of occupation is more important for how well individuals tolerate shift work than if they are men or women or if they workday, evenings or rotating shift work. Neuroticism and autonomy are important to shift work tolerance for retail workers, but not for police employees.