Now, the problem of many people working night shifts and then going to sleep is quite serious; how should this be dealt with?

Maintenance workers can take naps on duty, while operators cannot; surveillance cameras can be installed

Every factory should have clear standard systems. The key is to implement these systems. Those who sleep in violation of the rules will be dealt with firmly. Kill one to warn a hundred. It is believed that after several people are punished, the others will realize their mistakes. If one is afraid of offending others or of not being able to hold everyone accountable, then it becomes very difficult to manage things. Of course, the shift supervisors in each shift need to fulfill their roles by strengthening management of their teams. For example, when the employees on duty are feeling sleepy, they can speak to them and boost their morale, which can effectively reduce the urge to sleep.

Managers need to arrange shifts and conduct unannounced inspections; otherwise, it will be difficult to achieve effective results. However, if the factory is not in operation, there is no need to be so strict.

In our previous workplace, sleeping during night shifts was not allowed; inspections were strict and penalties severe. In the end, the main task during night shifts was to find a way to sleep without getting caught. Even those who tried not to sleep were listless and unable to concentrate on their work! If sleeping on duty is inevitable, let the team leader arrange for them to take turns sleeping for 1–2 hours when work is stable; this might make things better, as addressing the issue gradually is better than trying to fix it all at once.

1. Companies should adopt a people-oriented management approach. 2. Leverage the management roles of team leaders. 3. Punishment should not be used as a substitute for proper management

With humanized management, people still tend to feel sleepy according to their biological clock when there’s nothing to do. Determine which positions can have rotating shifts while others must be manned at all times, and make reasonable allocations to ensure safe production while preventing accidents caused by poor mental condition

Establish post monitoring and install surveillance cameras

It’s indeed a troublesome issue. Generally, punishment is used in place of proper management, with severe penalties imposed. Today, a people-oriented approach, as well as harmonious and humanistic management, are advocated. This must be based on institutional norms; beyond this framework, everything becomes chaotic. Therefore, the focus is on how the system is implemented, how employees comply with it, and how managers enforce it. If it’s handled properly, everything can be resolved.

1. Since there is less work during night shifts, why not find ways to reduce the number of people working at night? Too much work with too few people can lead to problems. 2. It is necessary for the on-duty managers to conduct inspections. At the same time, the workshop supervisor or a higher-level manager oversees the shift supervisors. 3. Increase penalties for sleeping on duty. A fine of 500 yuan for the first offense; dismissal for sleeping on duty the second time. Our company is a major user of hazardous chemicals.

I’ve also worked shifts in a factory, and I know that when working the night shift one definitely sleeps, but I’m not sure whether one can be caught doing so. I suggest that there must be someone in each class who is constantly monitoring the control screen and keeping an eye on alarms, etc.; installing surveillance is meant to ensure that someone is paying attention to the control screen ； Otherwise, there will be severe penalties, and the severity should be high. Workers can sleep, but only in the control room; this is because there was an incident in our factory where someone went to sleep in a secluded corner when caught. When a problem arose, it was useless for the team leader to shout at them through a loudspeaker or walkie-talkie. Additionally, the noise level in the factory is high, so sleeping in the control room is acceptable, as it allows people to be awakened promptly in case of any issues. It’s important to choose the shift leader and team leader carefully. Our team leader back then was great – he stayed up all night watching the operation screens, so when I was on night shift, I could just go to sleep.

Managers need to arrange shifts and conduct unannounced inspections. It’s not a big problem if a few people sleep on duty, but it’s serious in most cases

On the surface, this phenomenon appears to be employees ignoring the company’s management rules； In fact, it’s due to inadequate leadership and management; there is a lack of proper oversight on a regular basis. Occasionally, when the company requires inspections, such situations arise, and instead of addressing the issue properly, penalties are imposed as a substitute for effective management. This doesn’t solve the problem at all and only encourages employees to rely on luck. To address such problems, it is necessary to strengthen management, establish a responsibility system for team leaders, and strictly adhere to the established rules

There are no shift workers who don’t sleep; it’s just a matter of how much or how little. I have been working for almost twenty years; it would be a lie to say I don’t sleep. Rather than banning, it’s better to ease restrictions. The three-shift system already goes against the body’s biological clock, and as one gets older, along with household chores, it’s impossible to maintain high energy levels throughout the entire night. As everyone says, shift workers are always thinking about how to sleep without being caught; therefore, provided that the operating conditions remain stable, it is necessary to ensure that there are people monitoring the equipment and conducting inspections, and rest time should be arranged reasonably. Some companies do this very well by even providing beds for their workers. Only in this way can this cat-and-mouse situation be resolved, along with proper guidance to foster employees’ spirit of dedication and commitment to their work. Only then can production be more stable, with fewer accidents and greater profitability.

This is indeed difficult to control; it is only possible by implementing strict supervision and punitive measures alongside corporate culture education

In the past, Sinopec did not allow employees on night shifts to take breaks; accidents often occurred at 3 or 4 a.m. Starting in 1997, some of its subsidiaries adopted a four-shift, two-shift rotation system, which permitted employees to take turns resting at night. As a result, the accident rate dropped significantly, and economic benefits improved markedly. These successful practices can be adopted to foster harmony, bringing benefits to individuals, enterprises, and the country as a whole.

The team leader must be encouraged to enforce labor discipline on his own; if the duty officer discovers anyone sleeping on duty, severe penalties will be imposed, totaling at least 1,000 yuan, with the team leader bearing 25% of that penalty.

Only by strengthening management can managers fulfill their responsibilities. Strengthen night patrols; those found sleeping on duty will be dealt with strictly, and dismissal from duty is the best remedy. There are many people on layoff now; take this opportunity to optimize! In the past, I noticed in the duty logs that very few people recorded instances of sleeping on duty or listed the names of those who did so; whenever I checked, I always found such cases. It indicates that someone noticed the violations, but enforcement was not strict, allowing some people to violate the rules! This post was last edited by CHFY on 2009-2-15 00:30]

Under normal production conditions, operators are mostly under surveillance; aside from conducting regular inspections and keeping records, they basically stay in one place. It’s easy to fall asleep during night shifts, and the positions where sleeping is prohibited are so designated for reasons related to production safety. Therefore, the first step is to strengthen safety training, especially for team leaders； The second measure is to assign leaders to be on duty to inquire about production conditions in real time, rather than conducting sudden disciplinary inspections ； Third, for positions where it is possible to take turns sleeping or work in shifts, it indicates that there is an issue with the staffing arrangement for those positions, or that the workload is so high that multiple people need to be assigned to carry out the tasks. In such cases, rotation and rest should be allowed, as long as it does not compromise production safety.

Putting people first should not be just empty words; addressing congestion by improving flow is the best approach