Dr.

Gunjan Mathur
Fatigue
According to Muscio (1921) fatigue is a condition
caused by activity in which output produced by that
activity tends to be relatively poor and the degree of
fatigue tends to vary directly with the poorness of
output.”

Any muscular work will result in fatigue provided the

work of the muscles and the resulting expenditure of
energy are at a faster rate than is recovery.

Fatigue is characterised by increase in lactic acid

and low level of blood sugar in the body.
Fatigue is a problem that is important for
both the employer and the employee.
The production decreases because of fatigue
and the employee also recognises fatigue as a
feeling of tiredness or pain . It is intrinsically
unpleasant.
Fatigue can be decreased by proper training
in devising correct work methods.
Effective motivation can be successful in
eliminating fatigue.
Fatigue
The factors which in addition to muscles
contribute to the onset of fatigue are:
Length of the work period
The speed of work
The extent of musculature involved
The tensions accompanying the task.

Depending on the strength , stamina and

preparation of the individual, fatigue is
manifested at different rates in different people.
Inefficient work spaces, inefficient work
methods, inefficient tools and inefficient
people to do the work may also contribute to
fatigue.
Crowden (1932) classified industrial work into
three types heavy muscular work, moderately
heavy work and light work.
Heavy work is too streneous, in moderately
heavy work expenditure of effort is much
lower than the heavy work.
The light work requires relatively small expenditure of energy
but requires postural strain that causes fatigue. The employee
maintains a cramped and uncomfortable position.
In a study Crowden (1932) found 16 factors which contribute
to fatigue in truck drivers

1. High degree of alertness and attention

2. Nervous strain due to driving under adverse conditions
3. Muscular exertion
4. General irregularity of habits
5. Lack of sleep and rest periods
6. Physical condition
7. postural strain that causes fatigue.
8.Constant use of eyes
9.Monotony
10.Consumption of coffee and alcohol
11.Exposure to all types of weather conditions
12.Exposure to toxic fumes and gases
13.Economic insecurity
14.Noises
15.Vibration
16.Social factors like absence from home
The largest component of mental fatigue is
the tension and attitude usually
accompanying a task that an individual
regards as a challenge.
 objective evidence of Fatigue can be feelings
of intense dislike, boredom, headache,
dizziness, nervous instability and physical and
muscular weariness.
The decrease in mental efficiency is also a
sign of fatigue.
Researchers report some other signs of physical
fatigue like change in metabolic rate, pulse,
temperature, weight and respiratory movement.
Vernon (1924) demonstrated that a change of
posture during the rest pauses helps in recovery
to a great extent than merely stopping work.
Many psychological tests and performance tests
were used by researchers to measure fatigue
but result were not very conclusive.
Effect of Fatigue
Feelings of intense dislike
Boredom
Headaches
Dizziness
Nervous instability
Physical and muscular weariness
Negative Effect on efficiency
Effect of Fatigue
Other physical signs include
Respiratory problems
Change in metabolic rate
Pulse change
Change in body temperature
And other physiological changes
Boredom and Monotony
Boredom is an unpleasant short lived affective
state in which a person feels a pervasive lack of
interest in and difficulty attending to a task or
activity.

Causes of Boredom
1.Task as a source of boredom
2.Work environment as a source of
boredom
3.Person as a source of boredom
 Task as a course of
boredom

task related factors which lead to boredom are

1.Tasks which cause low stimulation
2.Tasks which are repetitive and monotonous
3.Jobs which provide the workers with quantitative under-load
4.Tasks which are too challenging or cannot be understood
5. tasks which are too simple or limited in mental demand
6.Period of inactivity after a level of high activity
Work environment as a
source of boredom
Dull , unhappy and uncommunicative co-workers
Organizational policies and practices

Fellow employees can either make the work

challenging and interesting or boring and repetitive.
Rules that prohibit talking , limit work break or
prescribe precise work procedures induce the
feeling of boredom.
Person as a source of
boredom
Males tend to be more prone to the feelings of
boredom than females, though this may be
culture specific.
Individuals having high cognitive abilities or
capacity may experience more boredom
because of the utilization of their abilities.
Intelligent individuals may view the simple
tasks as boring because they are homogenous
and repititive.
Personality differences may also result in boredom.
Extraverted individuals may require more stimulation
to keep them aroused and engaged.
The expectations and alternatives available to a
person may also result in the perception of boredom
or interest.
If no other option is available to the individual then
the work becomes less boring.
If the individual do not percieve any value in the
work they are doing or participating then the work
becomes boring.
Consequences of
boredom
Job dissatisfaction
Work stress
Physical and mental problems
Workplace hostility
Drug problem
Absenteeism
Poor performance
Work related injuries
Reduced quality of work life
Interventions to alleviate
boredom
Work redesign
Work that is stimulating and psychologically
rewarding
Job enrichment
Ergonomic changes
Performance goals and feedback
Performance based reward system
Employees should play mental games, assist co
workers
Employers should assign meaningful work,
should help in goal setting and then provide
feedback to reduce the feeling of boredom.
Monotony
The effect of specialization and
simplification of work.
It is generally believed that people prefer varied
rather than uniform or repetitive tasks. This is not
true to the extent than is ordinarily believed.

There is preference and desirability for uniformity

of tasks. jobs that are varied requires that may
get a person into trouble so they prefer routine
job because they are safe. Such people consider it
to be a boon for them.
Monotony
Monotony can be reduced by a more careful
selection of personnel- by attempting to hire the
person with the necessary intelligence for the job
and rejecting those with too much or too little.
Rest pauses also reduce monotony.
Employees also change their jobs even against
company rules in order to combat monotony.
Social and recreational activities also reduce
monotony.
Work schedule
Researches have proved that decreasing the
hours of work usually increases the
production.
The real problem is not the number of hours
of work in relation to production , but the
relationship between the real and the nominal
hours worked.
In any workweek a difference exists between
the actual hours of work and nominal hours of
work.
It is found most of the times a decrease in the
nominal hours of work does not in any way
affect the actual hours worked.
Nominal hours are defined as those between
punching in and out on the time clock.
It is a fact that as nominal hours increase the
proportion of actual hours worked to nominal
hours decreases .similarly as nominal hours
decrease the proportion of actual hours to
nominal hours increases.
A survey made by U.S. Department of Labour found
that the 40 hour week and the 8 hour day yield the
highest output for each hour worked.
More than 40 or 48 hours a week resulted in
additional output but with constantly decreasing
efficiency and with increasing absenteeism as the
hours were stepped up.
The survey also indicated that 7 day week as a
steady program is uneconomical and may result in
lower production than the 6 day week.
Most research work indicates that shortening
of work week and hours do not interfere with
production and in fact may have beneficial
effects not only on production but also on
overall health of an organisation
Shift work
Shift work affects the worker adversely or not
is a topic of research.
Night work is viewed as detrimental to
employees well being.
It hinders the natural physiological rhythm of
sleep and thus affects health and also family
and social relations in an adverse manner.
Shift work
Mare and Walker pointed out that individual
workers have different preferences for shift work
about 61 % prefer permanent day shift, 27 %
prefer night shift and 17% prefer rotating shift.
This indicates that adverse effect of shift work is
due to the attitudes of the workers and not due to
shift work.

One way of reducing the adverse effects seem to

be placing the workers on the various shifts
according to their choices.
Shift work
Some research also show that that quick
rotation in shift work within two or three days
were better than less frequent changes
( changes after a month or fortnight) as they
do not affect physiological processes.

The discomfort because of shifts is due to

adjusting with a new mode of life by
eliminating the earlier one well established by
a long term habit.
Flexible Work Arrangements Report
Flexible working arrangements or (FWA) is an
option that allows employees to have a larger
variety in their working schedules as opposed to
the standard 8-hour work day which is
completed from Monday to Friday, summing to a
40 hour work week. It is becoming rapidly
apparent that many employees are opting for a
more flexible work schedule allowing them to
work in compacted hours or from a variety of
locations far from the office.
These flexible working arrangements are offered under
the perception that they allow employees a greater
work/life balance and thus allowing employers to gain
non-stressed and well balanced employees that are more
productive as a result.
The main forms of flexible work arrangements can be
said to be, flexitime which allows employees to basically
negotiate there hours within the limits of management,
compressed working hours which is essentially
completing the 40 hour working week in less than the
standard 5 days, Job- sharing which can be described as
splitting a job between two employees and
telecommuting which allows the employee to work from
home or a preferred location.
The positive and negative factors effecting
flexible work arrangements will now be
discussed in the seats of both employers and
employees, concluding with suggestions on
effective implementation.
A well known factor that benefits employers in
implementing flexible working arrangements,
is that they reduce costs in the form of
employee turnover. Whereas the turnover of
an employee can cost up to crores (Abbott, De
Cieri and Iverson, 1998), it can be seen why
employee turnover should be avoided.
According to Stavrou and Kilaniotis flexible
working arrangements can be used to combat
this cost of employee turnover a departing
employee is estimated to cost the equivalent of
150% of his/her annual salary, while workfamily
policies, such as FWAs, cost only 32% of one's
annual salary. In turn, FWAs are seen often as a
method that might reduce turnover
costs(Stavrou and Kilaniotis, 2009).
Employers also save costs in another dimension where
employees are desperately seeking flexible working
arrangements to a point where it is seen as a benefit or
a reward as Houseman describes workers in these
arrangements prefer their schedules and are willing to
trade off compensation and job security for such
flexibility (S.Houseman, 2001) . Using flexible working
arrangements in comparison to a salary bonus or
promotion is a large saving for any employer assuming
the arrangement comes at a low cost and keeps
performance level.
A part-time job is a form of employment that carries fewer hours
per week than a full-time job. Workers are considered to be part-
time if they commonly work fewer than 30 or 35 hours per week.[1]
According to the International Labour Organization, the number of
part-time workers has increased from one-fourth to a half in the
past 20 years in most developed countries, excluding the United
States.[1] There are many reasons for working part-time, including
the desire to do so, having one's hours cut back by an employer
and being unable to find a full-time job.
"
These flexible working arrangements are
offered under the perception that they allow
employees a greater work/life balance and
thus allowing employers to gain non-stressed
and well balanced employees that are more
productive as a result.
The main forms of flexible work arrangements
can be said to be, flexitime which allows
employees to basically negotiate there hours
within the limits of management, compressed
working hours which is essentially completing
the 40 hour working week in less than the
standard 5 days, Job- sharing which can be
described as splitting a job between two
employees and telecommuting which allows
the employee to work from home or a preferred
location.
The positive and negative factors effecting
flexible work arrangements will now be
discussed in the seats of both employers and
employees, concluding with suggestions on
effective implementation.
A well known factor that benefits employers in
implementing flexible working arrangements,
is that they reduce costs in the form of
employee turnover. Whereas the turnover of
an employee can cost up to as much as
$75,000 (Abbott, De Cieri and Iverson, 1998),
it can be seen why employee turnover should
be avoided.
Employers also save costs in another dimension where
employees are desperately seeking flexible working
arrangements to a point where it is seen as a benefit or
a reward as Houseman describes workers in these
arrangements prefer their schedules and are willing to
trade off compensation and job security for such
flexibility (S.Houseman, 2001) .
Using flexible working arrangements in
comparison to a salary bonus or promotion is
a large saving for any employer assuming the
arrangement comes at a low cost and keeps
performance level.

An employers benefit in implementing flexible

working systems can be said to be that when
used in the right form and way it can result in
an increasingly productive, reliable and
relaxed employee.
To gain positive results from flexible working
arrangement s, employers should hold a lower absentee
rate, better productive performance and a higher level of
job satisfaction. A review that is testament to the worth
of flexible work arrangements is one by Hohl, 2006,
where a variety of non-profit organisations were
surveyed to have a high percentage of flexible work
arrangement schedules and amongst those organisations
Overall arrangement use improved staff retention and
morale and maintained performance.
Rest pauses
Rest pauses should be given to a employee at a
regular interval because if it is not given the
employee anyhow takes it.
When management offers rest to its employees
then it gains a goodwill and reduce the feeling of
boredom and monotony.
Depending on the type of work the number and
duration of rest periods vary. Researches have
proved that for most jobs 10 to 15 minute rest in
midmorning and mid-afternoon seems to work
best.
The employee change his posture during the
rest pause. If he sits during work then he is
encouraged to stand or walk. If he stands he
should be encouraged to sit or lie down.
The rest period should be such that the
employee change his posture of the body and
the activity from the activity and posture
which he takes during the working hours.
In some organization refreshments are served
during the break. This creates a positive
attitude in the mind of employees.

Other organizations offer other facilities like

gym facilities, providing facilities for playing
games like table tennis, billiards, chess etc.