A new trend or a revolution?

According to the latest research by the Statistics Poland (GUS) (2024-2025), the country’s industrial sector employs around 3 million people.

The specific nature of the industrial sector means that most of them have to work irregular hours and shifts.

In practice, this means that around 6 million people are directly or indirectly affected by the social problems caused by working irregular hours (including night shifts). Imagine that you regularly work night shifts and how much of an impact this has on your family and social life.

When the first international companies established their headquarters in Poland in the early 1990s, no one ever wondered what ‘work-life balance’ was and what exactly it was for, because the goal was development and the pursuit of a mythologised West.

Nowadays, with fierce competition between companies to attract and retain the best talent, the term ‘work-life balance’ is becoming increasingly recognised and respected.

Impossible in industry?
More than ten years ago, when we were taking our first steps at Déhora in Poland and asking production plant managers about caring for the health and well-being of shift workers, no one wanted to talk to us.

The difficult situation on today’s labour market, caused by historically low unemployment, had to radically change this approach.

If you want to be considered a good employer, you need to be aware of the health and social aspects when creating a work schedule. Although this is difficult at first glance, there are rules you can follow to minimise the negative effects of irregular work. Although according to fatigue studies, shift start-and-end times should be around 07:00 to 15:00 and 23:00 to 03:00, it is still common for shifts to start between 06:00  and 14:00 and end between 22:00 and 02:00.

Why not introduce flexibility into the schedule to give employees more predictability in their working hours? Imagine how predictable work schedules allow employees to have time off exactly when they want it, not when their employer wants it. Shift workers will not only appreciate this, but they will also see for themselves that someone has finally listened to them.

What is the best tool for building employer branding? Rumours.
The fourth industrial revolution is already upon us. Machines communicate with each other, and the role of AI in manufacturing is only growing.

But let’s imagine that – alongside technical innovation – we have the opportunity to implement innovations on a human and social level.

We call this innovation self-rostering.
The general idea behind self-rostering is that employers give their employees greater flexibility and independence in setting their own schedules.

The main advantage of self-rostering is that employees can plan their own schedules. As a result, employees can train when it suits them, take care leave, pick up their children when necessary, and work shifts, for example, part-time. Self-rostering also makes it much easier to work part-time. It has been scientifically proven that implementing self-rostering helps employees maintain their social and physical health, as they decide for themselves what tasks to perform and how to spend their time. Behind the self-scheduling system are clever algorithms that, based on production plans and real-time staffing needs, can accurately determine when an employee can change their working hours without disrupting production plans.

Now imagine how this can affect the attraction and retention of employees and top talent!

The results? Measurable and concrete.