Use of shift work in globally distributed software development

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore information technology (IT) professionals' perception towards shift‐based work pattern used by globally distributed software development (GDSD) firms in Sri Lanka, in terms of the effects of shift work on them and strategies they used to cope with shift work.Design/methodology/approachA self‐administered survey questionnaire was chosen as the mode for data collection. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were used for data analysis.FindingsThe findings led to identifying the characteristics of shift work environment, benefits and drawbacks of shift work for IT professionals, strategies used by IT professionals to cope with shift work, and their overall evaluation of the shift work environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the questionnaire survey provided access to breadth of experience. If qualitative data had also been obtained they could have provided depth by adding insight and substance to the questionnaire survey.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study suggest that shift work creates problems for IT professionals' health that call for improvements in the areas that are deleterious while retaining or enhancing those that are beneficial for the shift‐based workforce.Social implicationsThe paper provides an understanding of the consequences of shift work for the rhythm of minds and bodies, families and social lives and the routines of rest of the community, and ways to cope with shift work may help the industry to flourish at large.Originality/valueMinimal literature has been found specific to the cohort of IT professionals engaged full‐time in GDSD on shift basis with respect to their view of it and issues related to their employment arrangement. It is expected that the findings of this study will provide insight into benefits, challenges and issues associated with shift work to allow individuals and organizational leaders to better understand and utilize shift‐based work pattern in GDSD. Further, it is expected that the findings of this study will be a source of general guidance in stimulating future research in this area.

Linking home–work interface, work engagement and psychological capital to customer advocacy

“…Self-rostering facilitates a balance between work and family and has an overall reducing effect on workfamily conflict and a positive impact on work-family satisfaction. Wickramasinghe and De Silva (2011) also confirmed that the flexibility to choose the work timing has several positive benefits, such as family satisfaction and less stress, and it allows one to have a balance between the requirements of work and family.…”

“…In today's dynamic and volatile market, organisations are increasingly resorting to flexible or part-time workers to fulfil their varied needs (Naik, 2016;Wickramasinghe and De Silva, 2011). The services extended by flexible workers are of vital importance to the organisation; hence, there is a requirement to explore ways to engage and keep these employees motivated, positive and resilient to the workplace adversities because it will be useful to the organisation (Sedoughi et al, 2016).…”

Practice of Workforce Flexibility-Internal, External, Numerical and Functional Flexibility

“…For the study, an employee is described as “a person who is engaged in the creation and provision of IT‐related output as his or her primary job function on shift‐basis.” The preliminary investigations made by the authors led to the identification of eight firms that use a shift‐based work pattern to cover the full working hours of a particular working day. A detailed description of the shift‐work characteristics of these firms can be found in Wickramasinghe and De Silva ().…”

“…Some studies showed that shift‐work facilitates effective allocation of employees to specific shifts and provides financial benefits such as increased income (King & Torkzadeh, ; Sakthivel, ). However, some other studies showed that shift‐work is associated with some costs and risks (Haines et al, ; Wickramasinghe & De Silva, ). As little as one night of sleep deprivation impairs complex tasks such as decision‐making and ability to control one's emotions, and decreases motivation (e.g., Haines et al, ; Wickramasinghe & De Silva, ).…”

“…However, some other studies showed that shift‐work is associated with some costs and risks (Haines et al, ; Wickramasinghe & De Silva, ). As little as one night of sleep deprivation impairs complex tasks such as decision‐making and ability to control one's emotions, and decreases motivation (e.g., Haines et al, ; Wickramasinghe & De Silva, ). Shift‐workers also find difficulties in maintaining performance levels, since shift‐work influences their speed, reaction time, and the accuracy of work performance after the evening hours begin; this situation is particularly true for rotating shift‐workers (Burgess, ).…”