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Our last article talked about “bakers” and “bartenders” who share the common characteristic of extroversion, or behavior centered around others. This week, we’ll look at “farmers” and “security guards,” who share the common characteristic of introversion. It should be noted that these descriptions are generalizations. There are few, if any persons who exhibit any of these characteristics in their purest form.
Farmers are famous for getting up before sunrise, and will have a half day’s work done by breakfast. (In my case though, I don’t even wake up before eating breakfast) Because of their early start, farmers usually retire early -- as the sun goes sets and the work is done. Understanding the farmer’s work cycle is easy. But why do we assign the farmer with such the lonely role of introversion? We do this to simply illustrate that the farmer isn’t usually associated with working around a lot of people. Therefore, the characteristics of the farmer fits the profile of a high degree of “morningness” and a high degree of introversion for purposes of this model. If you see yourself in this category, you may find that you are not particularly well suited to shiftwork, although the data should suggest that a pure introvert would be a tantalizing subject for a jobs that doesn’t require much contact with other people. The main problem with “farmers” is that they will have trouble staying alert and active during the evening or night shifts. Some manufacturing work and utility operations are good careers for “farmers.” But once again, if farmers work rotating shifts their “morningness” will be difficult to overcome as their starting times change. The Security Guard The Security Guard prefers the nights, and isn’t particularly attracted to working around a lot of people. (In that sense, they are much like the farmers.) But the main difference between security guards and farmers is the times of day they prefer to work. The characteristics of security guards are ideal for people involved in activities such as art and writing, and can also be effective in small-scale utility operations. (This is not to say that all artists and writers are night people, but the majority of the ones I know do seem to be a little “owlish.” Although the main difference between farmers and security guards is mainly one of scheduling, the security guard would be more adaptable to changing schedules such as those found in rotating shifts or relief schedules.
The copyright of the article Farmers and Security Guards in Shift Work is owned by Stephen Weistling. Permission to republish Farmers and Security Guards in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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