Cost of shift work on employee health and performance: Can organizations afford to ignore the consequences?

Research on outsourced operations has primarily focused on working conditions in call centers. This study sought to focus attention on other outsourced operations in an effort to highlight the link between shift work, poor health, and impaired performance at work. In-depth interviews with both management and employees at two Indian organizations suggested that the negative consequences of shift work and of working conditions are not merely individual problems, but have adverse consequences for organizations as well. Yet shift work is an unavoidable fact of modern life both for employees and employers. The implications for future research, in particular cost-effective strategies organizations can implement to minimize the health impact of shift work on employees and improve performance, are discussed.