O TRABALHO EM TURNOS DE REVEZAMENTO EM UMA EMPRESA ESTATAL: UMA ANÁLISE EM PSICODINÂMICA DO TRABALHO

Abstract

This master’s dissertation presents an empirical study results which intends to investigate the shift work impacts and to discuss how this model of working can interfere in the worker’s family and social life and in his health. This is a descriptive exploratory study, based theoretically and methodologically on the Psychodynamics of Work approach, carried out with a group of 12 employees of a state-owned electric power company - operators of substation and hydro-electric power station - that perform their job in rotational shift work schedule. Three collective discussion sessions and a meeting for the research's validation were developed. The data were examined through the work clinical analysis. Three categories were adopted for this study's purposes: the first one is concerned to the shift work; the second was the Organization of Work and, the third one, the subjective mobilization. According to the Psychodynamics of Work premises, work is a central factor in the constitution of worker's health and identity, and the main link between individuals and society; for that reason, the experiences of pleasure and suffering in the work of these professionals were investigated. Concerning to the shift work, allied to the rigid and bureaucratic routine of the investigated workers, the data point to the occurrence of suffering supported by them, evidenced in: difficulty in reconciling work and social/family life; domestic overtasks; difficulty in disconnecting mentally from work; risks they are submitted to, due to the profession; relatedshift work pathologies. It was verified that the shift work most affects the workers' health is the night one, causing damages evidenced by the following symptoms: irritability, discouragement, mood disorders, headaches and fatigue. In this study, the main pathologies identified were insomnia or excessive drowsiness, irritability, stress, fatigue and depression. However, the clinic demonstrated that there are cooperation and trusting among the group, which added to the symbolic recognition are decisive for all people of the company recognize the importance of the work developed by the substation operators in rotating shifts and also feel themselves part of this laborer group, strengthening their identity. It should be noted that the main strategies identified in the group studied were union and cooperation, advocated by the psychodynamics of work as an essential mediation in the formation and renewal of solidarities against suffering at work. In the category Subjective Mobilization, workers experience the pleasure in work concerning to: availability on days-off to solve particular and familiar issues; travels; remuneration; relationship with colleagues; challenges and new job opportunities and a work positive sense in the operator position, which influence the mental health maintenance in the group of the surveyed workers. It is believed that the greatest gain obtained with this research by the workers was to rethink the pertinent questions to their work and for that, It is suggested the permanence of the space for collective discussion so that workers can develop individual and collective strategies to help them to deal with this regime of work, as well as implementations of actions at individual, collective and family levels in order to minimize the impacts caused by the shift work model.