The risks of going to work at night

In an ATM near our office at Makati, 2010

People working at night like call center agents are very much exposed to a lot of dangers. Just give yourself sometime to watch TV, surf the net and read newspapers – surely you will find one or two bad incidents happen at night. In my eight years of working night – shift, I thank God because I never encountered any life – threatening situations on the way to work, inside the office and going home.

I had officemates who were robbed or threatened to be stabbed by knife if they don’t give their money or mobile phones. The worst I have ever heard of is another teammate who was punched severely by a guy just a few minutes he got his whole salary from the ATM. There were people watching but no ne wants to help him because they don’t want to be in trouble too.

That cups of coffee we drink in order for us to stay awake, the stress we get from changing work schedules and emotional issues we get from different situations that happen in the office. These all contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle.

I have an officemate who continues to work at night even if her doctor is strongly suggesting to just find another day job because she has a heart problem. I have seen her brought to the hospital a number of times but she never  quits her job saying that she as a single parent needed by her kids.

Let’s face the fact that staying awake all night kills our DNA thus making our bodies vulnerable to any disease. This is not just a plain fact; this is backed by credible scientific researches around the world.   But because we have bills to pay and families to support, jobs at night will never vanish. As a matter of fact the demand increases as time goes by.

To those who are working at night, please pay attention to your safety and health more than anything else. Please make sure that your company has reliable insurance and medical plans should you be in a situation you would not want to happen. After work, please make sure that you take vitamins, gain enough rest and sleep to make up for the ones you lost though I am not sure if it is just as easy as that.

Note: This is an entry to Sykes E-Recruitment Blog Giveaway.