New Working Hours Improve Well-Being

The CAA is involved in the EU funded Respect project, the main purpose of which is to promote work capabilities among ageing staff, general well-being and the ability to cope with working life. The CAA has participated in the project as a “field pilot”, testing, with the Institute of Occupational Health, working hour models that can help promote people’s natural sleep rhythms, improve job and leisure time rhythms and reduce the amount of individual off-duty periods.

The actual pilot unit for the project was the flight information centre at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The research was designed to ascertain work-time models that foster natural sleep patterns. At the beginning of 2003 our units adopted a work-time model which did not fully achieve the goals originally set for the project, but which did introduce the following improvements: shift rotations were moved clockwise, giving longer rest periods between shifts; the number of individual off-duty periods fell considerably, and every employee gained more weekends off than previously. The new working hours model was tried for six months. The results showed that the new model positively affected employee well being, general health, social life and particularly family life. Sleeplessness and tiredness at work declined somewhat, but there were no other significant changes from before. The model will continue to operate, with adjustments to make it more effective.