The Twelve-hour Shift in the Petroleum and Chemical Industries

This article reports the results of a 1977 field survey of managers in fifty plants in the United States and Canada that have recently instituted twelve-hour shifts in continuous operation situations in the chemical and petroleum industries. The authors report that in all the plants studied the shift change has significantly improved morale without impairing efficiency, job safety, or workers' health. The drawbacks of this work schedule include the difficulty that some older workers have in adjusting to it; the possibility that it might not be feasible in industries in which the work is more arduous; and the general opposition of unionswhich were present in only three of the fifty plantsto any lengthening of the workday. Herbert R. Northrup is Professor of Industry and Director of the Industrial Research Unit at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. James T. Wilson and Karen M. Rose are former Research Assistants at the Industrial Research Unit. This study was commissioned and underwritten by the Labor Relations Council of The Wharton School, with additional support from the General Electric, John M. Olin, and Gulf Foundations.-EDITOR