A1 Journal article (refereed)
The Time-Varying Effect of Participatory Shift Scheduling on Working Hour Characteristics and Sickness Absence : Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in Hospitals (2022)

Turunen, J., Karhula, K., Ropponen, A., Koskinen, A., Shiri, R., Sallinen, M., Ervasti, J., Pehkonen, J., & Härmä, M. (2022). The Time-Varying Effect of Participatory Shift Scheduling on Working Hour Characteristics and Sickness Absence : Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in Hospitals. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 14654. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214654

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Turunen, Jarno; Karhula, Kati; Ropponen, Annina; Koskinen, Aki; Shiri, Rahman; Sallinen, Mikael; Ervasti, Jenni; Pehkonen, Jaakko; Härmä, Mikko

Journal or series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

ISSN: 1661-7827

eISSN: 1660-4601

Publication year: 2022

Publication date: 08/11/2022

Volume: 19

Issue number: 22

Pages range: 14654

Publisher: MDPI AG

Publication country: Switzerland

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214654

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/83900

Abstract

Participatory shift scheduling for irregular working hours can influence shift schedules and sickness absence. We investigated the effects of using participatory shift scheduling and shift schedule evaluation tools on working hour characteristics and sickness absence. We utilized a panel data for 2015−2019 with 16,557 hospital employees (6143 in the intervention and 10,345 in the control group). Difference-in-differences regression with ward-level clustered standard errors was used to estimate the average treatment effect on the treated coefficients relative to timing of the intervention with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Using participatory scheduling tool increased long working hours and weekend work and had delayed effects on the short (1–3 days) sickness absences. Increased effects were observed: 0.2 [95% CI 0.0−0.4] days for the second, and 0.8 [95% CI 0.5−1.0] for the third year after the onset of intervention. An average increase of 0.5 [95% CI 0.1−0.9] episodes on all sickness absence episodes was observed for the third year. Using the shift schedule evaluation tool with the participatory shift scheduling tool attenuated the adverse effects. To conclude, participatory shift scheduling increased some potentially harmful working hour characteristics but its effects on sickness absence were negligible, and further attenuated by using the shift schedule evaluation tool.

Keywords: working; sickness absences; working hours; shift work; sick leave; social inclusion; occupational health; well-being at work; employees

Free keywords: self-rostering; shift schedule; sickness absence; working hours

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2022

JUFO rating: 1