O’Riain, E; Spillane, J and Sherratt, F (2018) Healthy, happy workers? The consequences of commuting between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. In: Gorse, C and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 34th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2018, Queen’s University, Belfast, UK.
Abstract
The recent economic downturn has seen many construction companies in Northern Ireland look to secure work in Great Britain to maintain their operations. A direct consequence of this has been an increase in the number of workers, both professionals and trades, who are now commuting to Great Britain for work; that is, spending at least five consecutive days away from home as part of their regular work schedules. Such arrangements have been researched elsewhere, notably in Australia and Canada, and have been found to be detrimental to workers health and wellbeing; however, such studies have not been conducted in the context of Northern Ireland. Here, ten exploratory, in-depth semi-structured interviews were held with Northern Irish construction workers currently travelling to Great Britain for work. Data was transcribed and analysed using cognitive mapping software. Findings revealed that workers have an increased likelihood of becoming overweight, and struggle with tiredness and fatigue, particularly on the first day of their roster, due to early travel. They are also more likely to suffer from depression and loneliness, missing family and friends, which in turn, leads to increased drug and alcohol consumption, and use of prostitutes. The use of hotels as temporary accommodation is a further problem, which limits workers ability to cook for themselves and so eat healthily, as well as reducing social interaction, which encourages workers into hotel bars and pubs as shared social spaces, again influencing levels of alcohol and type of food consumption. Recommendations are made for the care of workers on such work patterns, specifically the careful consideration of the type of accommodation used to house workers, as well as the provision of robust mental health support systems, subsidised gym memberships to encourage regular exercise and flexibility of a workers 'fly in' and 'fly out' day to allow for adequate rest and maximise their time at home.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | commuting; mental health; wellbeing; workers |
| Index terms: | becoming, exercise, depression, interview, Canada, construction company, Australia, Northern Ireland, health and wellbeing, overweight, fatigue, well-being, hotel, cognitive mapping, social interaction, alcohol, mental health, consumption, construction worker |
| Subjects: | psychology, health behaviours and lifestyles, practitioner, consumer economics, organization, mental health and wellbeing, construction type, data collection methods, philosophical process, sociology, health conditions and diseases, cognitive psychology, Geography, physical geography and landforms |
| Topics: | Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Construction Technology |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here