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Staying in Touch

© Stephen Weistling

Shiftworkers often feel a certain detachment from the companies they work with, which really is not surprising, considering the schedules of their "workday." Oftentimes the night worker arrives on the job long after management and staff have left for the day, and sometimes that same worker is heading out the door just as the "normal" workday begins for the nine-to-fivers.

Most shiftworkers simply feel that it "comes with the territory," but also know that they miss out on some of the necessary communication and information and/or training from coworkers, supervisors, managers, and human resource professionals. Likewise, since the company often has little contact with the shiftworker, it is unlikely that it can hear about or detect problem areas that arise with an individual before they become major issues.

Circadian Technologies reported in their Shiftwork Practices 2002 survey that 93 percent of North American companies do not provide human resource services on the odd shifts, and that 20 percent of the 24/7 workforce are temporary employees. Imagine not being able to keep in touch with people that are unfamiliar and untested within an organization.

Fortunately, some companies are taking steps to address this situation. Whereas in the past, the burden was on the shiftworker to come in early or stay after shift, Human Resource and training personnel now occasionally work an odd shift to maintain contact. But this is only a start. Years ago, banks realized that their own hours didn't always match up with the public's need, so ATMs began springing up to take care of the customers' basic transactions. Today, some companies are using similar technology to build Human Resource communicating "kiosks" to maintain the critical bridge between shiftworker and company administrators.

The term "kiosk" usually means a small, light structure with open sides used to sell newspapers or distribute pamphlets and brochures. But in terms of today's technology, these kiosks do much more. At the hub of the structure is a computer connected to the company's intranet system. With the touch of a keypad, employees now have access to their work and health records, company news, training modules and much more.

At Time Warner Cable Inc. in Houston, six kiosks have been installed to bring the company closer to its installers and service center personnel. The program is so popular, that more will be ordered for virtually every outlying office, and will include more features. This year, employees will be able to participate in their medical plan open enrollment process via this new method in addition to obtaining discounts on travel and publication, and check on stock option grants.