ABSTRACT

The study investigated the influence of work and occupational stress on employee‟s job satisfaction. Two hundred and fifty (250) participants were used for the study. Two hypotheses involving shift and non-shift work, high and low occupational stress were tested. Two instruments were used to measure the variables of interest.

A 2 x 2 factorial design was adopted resulting in the use of 2-way ANOVA for data analysis. The result shows a statistically significant influence of shift work on job satisfaction [F(1, 196) = 114.29, P<.01)]. For the second factor, the result was also significant. Occupational stress exerted a significant influence on job satisfaction [F(1, 196) = 22.02, P<.01).] There was also an interaction influence of shift work and occupational stress on job satisfaction [F(1, 196) = 10.24, P<.01).] The results were discussed and suggestions made for further studies.

Usually for nurses, a 24-hour-a-day is broken into three 8-hour- work shifts as follows:

i.            7am to 2pm (day shift):

ii.           2pm to 10pm (swing or afternoon shift)‟ and

iii.         10pm to 7am (night shift).

Muchinsky finally observes that some companies have employees run only one shift, more so, as workers generally do not like the afternoon and night shift. Consequently, many firms and organizations do rotate the shift on weekly basis so as to carry all the workers along.

Psychologists in industrial settings (Muchinsky, 1988), did and

still do investigate the degree to which workers‟ job satisfactions

are affected by the shift work, and their abilities to cope with these changes in work schedules.

Since it is the functions of the Nigeria Police Force to maintain internal security here in Nigeria, enforce the laws and orders of the law abiding citizens, arrest, investigate and charge/or prosecute all the offenders in law courts; the police had since adopted three shift work schedules covering from Sunday to Saturday of every week. In order to cover all these duties and police the country effectively, Udonsy 91976), outlines the shift work schedules in this organization as follows:

(a)       Morning shift, from 0600 hrs to 1400 hours;

(b)      Afternoon shift, 1400 to 2200 hours; and

(c)       Night shift. 2200 hours to 0600 hours.

It should be noted at this juncture that the first workers to be initiated to this routine were not policemen, or even firemen, but bakers. Industrialization and global warfare brought shift work into the mainstream (Aveni, 1999). In other words, estimates are that more than 25% of all workers in the U.S. and Europe are now shift workers.

This proposal tends to investigate whether the police personnel actually do have job satisfactions on their job; and/or experience stress in their day to day hassles while working these shifts. Aschoff (1978), in his work posits that shift workers experience many problems ranging from physiological to social adjustments; stressing that most physiological problems are associated with interruptions of the circadian rhythm or internal biological clock; that is to say, our bodies are “programmed” for a certain time cycle. Hence, shift works have been observed to interrupt the cycles of eating, sleeping and working hours; and workers on these shift therefore, tend to experience physiological problems.

In actual fact, the police personnel on these shift works are mostly those on the lower ranks in this force. These are the Inspectors of police, and the Rank and files (made up of Sergeants, corporals and constables); who constitute the life wire of this force. These rank brackets are those mostly running the shift work systems; and are equally seen on the field from time to time. These are the same group of police officers seen by the general public either in their course of being arrested, investigated, and/or probably, while being charged to or prosecuted in law courts. In the course of their enforcing all these laws of the Federation, states and local councils, these officers tend to engage the riotous and unlawfully assembled members of public in physical combat. Not only these, the officers equally do engage the armed robbers in gun battles during their tour of duties. This study therefore, tends to investigate whether these police officers while enforcing all these laws and more, will actually experience stress. Although, researchers have come to agree that stress is found in every organization, industries and in every day‟s live of all human existence; many factors have bee

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