To read Dr. Frida Fischer's welcome address to participants of the 20th International Symposium on Shiftwork and Working Time, Stockholm, Sweden, 28/06/2011, click here. 

Welcome to the Working Time Society!

Epidemiological and demographic changes over the last decades, as well as an increase in market competitiveness, have brought new challenges to employers and employees. To achieve safer and more productive services, a wide range of factors associated with the quality of the work environment and work organisation should be taken into account.  

The organisation of working time, including night work, shiftwork, and irregular and long working hours have been a matter of concern. The vast body of published literature spanning six decades clearly shows the short and long term effects on health, safety and wellbeing of the workers, their families, and consequences to the public safety resulting from the imbalance of the working time and workers’ biological and social requirements. The recognition of the impact that working time related issues have is an urgent and ongoing struggle to improve work schedules and working hours worldwide. 

The aims of the Working Time Society and the participants of its Scientific Committee on Shiftwork and Working Time of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) include the promoting research related to working time and health, the dissemination of information, helping to build a knowledge network of global scientific collaboration among researchers, occupational health/human resources personnel, body governmental institutions, companies/businesses and workers’ representatives, as well as the general public.

Visiting our homepage, you will find information about the current and former symposia, the Shiftwork International Newsletter, WTS history, working committees, membership, and more. As stressed by our former WTS president, I encourage colleagues and all of those interested in workers’ health, to contribute sharing their views, experiences and ideas.

Let’s take advantage of this accessible global communications network to strengthen the aims of the Working Time Society.

Working Time Society President

University of São Paulo
Dept. Environmental Health
School of Public Health