Petri Mamia has had a career spanning more than thirty years at the Kerto LVL mill in Lohja. Since the beginning of 2024, Mamia, who works in three shifts, has been able to work shifts of six hours instead of the previous eight. This is one practical example of the individual working time model.
Petri Mamia, who currently works in jointing, has done shift work during almost all his career. He worked in day shift only during the first two years following the birth of his child.
Mamia explains that coping was the reason for his individual working time arrangements. In recent years, he has experienced very high overall stress in life, with too little time for recovery.
“I have a child with special needs, and I’m responsible for his care. It means I deal with stress 24 hours a day. My work is physically tough, and in the summer, my apartment gets so hot it’s difficult to sleep, so I go short on sleep,” Mamia says.
In the autumn of 2023, when the individual working time wishes of employees were mapped at the mill, Mamia indicated his interest in a shorter shift. The arrangement was financially possible for him. The practical aspects of it were discussed by the supervisors, HR and Mamia.
“First, I tried the six-hour shift for six months, and when that ended this past summer, we made the decision to continue the arrangement until the end of the year. If the employer needs it, I sometimes work a full eight-hour shift on the lay-up line. It’s nice to see something else than jointing now and then,” Mamia says.
The six-hour shift enables a longer night’s sleep without interruptions. Especially after a night shift, Mamia’s body easily goes into overdrive. When he gets home earlier, he also gets to sleep earlier. “I work my shift just the same as before, but usually leave two hours earlier than the others. The jointing workstation is for a single person, so the arrangement was feasible from the mill’s perspective.”
According to Mamia, ending the evening shift is less stressful than before. “I now have plenty of time to complete all the procedures and settings for the next shift, because I finish two hours before they come on. My work is freer. But you can’t leave a mess or jam-ups for others, and you can’t allow poor quality to leave the mill.”
Mamia believes the new arrangement has improved his wellbeing. He now drinks less coffee and is less irritable. “The more tired you are, the more irritated you are, and it shows in everything.”
Mamia has rarely taken sick leave during his career, but he has suffered from migraine attacks. Shorter working hours have reduced the frequency of migraines thanks to Mamia now having less stress and getting more sleep.
