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The Effect of Shift Structure on Performance

Author

Listed:
  • Tanguy Brachet
  • Guy David
  • Andrea M. Drechsler
Abstract
The effect of shift structure on worker performance and productivity is of increasing interest to firms and regulatory bodies. Using approximately 743,000 emergency medical incidents attended by 2,381 paramedics in Mississippi, we evaluate the extent that paramedics' performance toward the end of shifts is impacted by shift length. We find evidence that performance deteriorates toward the end of long shifts, and argue that fatigue is the mediating factor. Our calculations imply that such deterioration may result in a 0.76 percent increase in 30-day mortality. These findings have implications for workforce organization, calling attention to regulation designed to limit extended work hours. (JEL J22, J24, J28, J45, M12)

Suggested Citation

  • Tanguy Brachet & Guy David & Andrea M. Drechsler, 2012. "The Effect of Shift Structure on Performance," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 4(2), pages 219-246, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:4:y:2012:i:2:p:219-46
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.4.2.219
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    6. Lanfranchi, Joseph & Ohlsson, Henry & Skalli, Ali, 2002. "Compensating wage differentials and shift work preferences," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 393-398, February.
    7. Kostiuk, Peter F, 1990. "Compensating Differentials for Shift Work," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 1054-1075, October.
    8. Edward P. Lazear, 1991. "Labor Economics and the Psychology of Organizations," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 5(2), pages 89-110, Spring.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Bastian Kordyaka & Mario Lackner & Hendrik Sonnabend, 2022. "Can too many cooks spoil the broth? Coordination costs, fatigue, and performance in high‐intensity tasks," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 88(3), pages 1065-1085, January.
    2. Cosaert, Sam & Lefebvre, Mathieu & Martin, Ludivine, 2022. "Are preferences for work reference dependent or time nonseparable? New experimental evidence," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    3. Jorge González Chapela, 2018. "Physical Work Intensity and the Split Workday: Theory and Evidence from Spain," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 329-353, September.
    4. Rachet-Jacquet, Laurie, 2022. "Do breaks from surgery improve the performance of orthopaedic surgeons?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    5. Manel Baucells & Lin Zhao, 2019. "It Is Time to Get Some Rest," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(4), pages 1717-1734, April.
    6. Takahiko Kudo & Michael H Belzer, 2019. "Safe rates and unpaid labour: Non-driving pay and truck driver work hours," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 30(4), pages 532-548, December.
    7. Collewet, Marion & Sauermann, Jan, 2017. "Working hours and productivity," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 96-106.
    8. Maria R. Ibanez & Michael W. Toffel, 2020. "How Scheduling Can Bias Quality Assessment: Evidence from Food-Safety Inspections," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(6), pages 2396-2416, June.
    9. Alexander Luttmann & Cody Nehiba, 2020. "The Effects of Employee Hours‐of‐Service Regulations on the U.S. Airline Industry," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(4), pages 1043-1075, September.
    10. Asai, Kentaro & Lopes, Marta C. & Tondini, Alessandro, 2024. "Firm-Level Effects of Reductions in Working Hours," CEPREMAP Working Papers (Docweb) 2405, CEPREMAP.
    11. David, Guy & Kim, Kunhee Lucy, 2018. "The effect of workforce assignment on performance: Evidence from home health care," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 26-45.
    12. Jan Sauermann, 2023. "Performance measures and worker productivity," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 260-260, April.
    13. Elena Lucchese, 2024. "How important are delays in treatment for health outcomes? The case of ambulance response time and cardiovascular events," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 652-673, April.
    14. George Loewenstein & Zachary Wojtowicz, 2023. "The Economics of Attention," CESifo Working Paper Series 10712, CESifo.
    15. Wendenburg, Oriana, 2020. "The Effect of Gratitude on Individuals' Effort – A Field Experiment," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 5(4), pages 429-451.
    16. Marta C.Lopes & Alessandro Tondini, 2022. "Firm-Level Effects of Reductions in Working Hours," FBK-IRVAPP Working Papers 2022-05, Research Institute for the Evaluation of Public Policies (IRVAPP), Bruno Kessler Foundation.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation

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    1. The Effect of Shift Structure on Performance (American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 2012) in ReplicationWiki

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