Generation Z: Die Zukunft der Arbeitszeitgestaltung bei der Polizei?

Public safety must be guaranteed around the clock. Accordingly, police officers in Germany work shifts, usually 40 or 41 h a week. Despite numerous publications in the field of occupational science outlining specific risks for accidents and health problems, there were only marginal adjustments to shift schedules, if any. However, police forces are now confronted with a young generation that is very health-conscious and reluctant to work shifts if it affects their health and limits their socially useful time too much. As a result, more and more officers are quitting, a new but massive phenomenon for the police. It seems that the time has come to rethink the traditional shift work models of police forces.

Practical Relevance: For the most part, the shift systems used by police forces in Germany are diametrically opposed to ergonomic principles for the organization of shift work. This article shows why police forces now urgently need to rethink and adapt their traditional systems and working hours to the demands of the younger police officer generation. It also discusses ways in which such adjustments could be made.