Loneliness among Shift Workers: An Analysis through Organizational Culture, Interpersonal Communication and Dealing with Emotions

Abstract

Web Finance Incorporation (2016) explains work shift as a work schedule in which a group of workers rotate through set periods of time. Shift work is well recognized in Customer Service and Hotel Industry. These shift employees often complain of emotional, psychological and physiological difficulties. Against this background, the objective of the present study was to analyze the differences between 160 Day and Night Shift employees (selected through non-probability sampling) working in Customer Service (n=80) and Hotel Industry (n=80).The study also aimed at identifying predictors of Loneliness at Workplace. The Organizational Culture Profile (Pareek, 2011), Interpersonal Communication Inventory (Bienvenu, 1971), Dealing with Emotions (Pareek, 2011) and Loneliness at Workplace (Wright, Burt & Strongman, 2006) were administered to measure the respective variables. The statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between Customer Service and Hotel Industry employees in terms of trust, authenticity, collaboration, experimentation, rumination and social companionship (p<0.05). Significant differences in openness, experimentation, coping with feelings, emotional deprivation and social companionship were observed between Day and Night Shift employees (p<0.05). Results further revealed that among Customer Service employees the major predictors of emotional deprivation were interpersonal communication, proaction and flow and of social companionship were interpersonal communication, proaction, self-expression and openness and among Hotel Industry employees the main predictors of emotional deprivation were proaction, rumination, experimentation, interpersonal communication and perceived acceptance and of social companionship were rumination, experimentation and clarity (p<0.05). The current study highlight the importance of organizational and interpersonal values, companies should promote and uphold in order to build healthy working conditions for their employees eventually culminating into their own success.