Extent of Shift Work Impact on Library Staff Efficiency and Health

Abstract

Shift workers in libraries just like their counterparts in service organizations are impacted upon negatively with respect to health and efficiency. This calls for investigation on the extent of impact on librarians’ efficiency and health. The study empirically investigated the extent of shift work impact on library staff efficiency and health in academic libraries in Delta State, Nigeria. The study was a descriptive survey and the population includes 182 staff in the academic libraries. Questionnaire was used for data gathering. The questionnaire was validated and reliability established with Crombach-Alpa reliability Co-efficient, 0.86. Data retrieved were analyzed using frequency count and simple percentage. The study found that, to a great extent, shift work disrupts shift workers’ family life and has negative effects on efficiency and health. Also, the study found that service level is higher during morning shift, but the shift workers prefer afternoon shift. A shift worker whose pulse corresponds to diurnal activity by a light/dark cycle should go through phase modification when adjusting to a new light/dark cycle, especially the night/ afternoon shift workers). Adequate lighting could be used to reduce/mitigate circadian rhythms’ disruption in shift workers.