Working Nights Spanish Calendar for Hispanics to improve their security and wellbeing

Oct 7 2009

Circadian Age, Inc. – ‘Working Nights’ – a company dedicated to helping shift workers and their families adjust to their unique lifestyles, is announcing a new Spanish calendar. The 2010 Working Nights Spanish Calendar offers organizations with Hispanic workers the opportunity to show added concern about the health and safety of this group of employees, by providing them with educational material in their own language, to use at home.

“Hispanic shift workers face the same circadian rhythm and biological clock challenges that all 24/7 employees do” says Betsy Connolly, President of Circadian Age. “But often, language barriers make an already difficult situation worse. Spanish speaking workers are often less knowledgeable about chronic health conditions and safety prevention at work, which may result in more accidents and errors and increased health care costs.”

Hispanic or Latino workers, particularly foreign-born workers, experience a disproportionate number of work-related injuries and fatalities. In addition, the current economic crisis is having an even more significant effect on the Latino population than on most other ethnic groups. Unemployment among Latinos was 12.7% in September 2009, as compared to 9% for whites. And, a 2009 Gallup Poll showed that 41.5% of Hispanics and Latinos have no health insurance, compared to the national average of 16%.

But there is good news. Hispanic and Latino people are significantly committed to their families and family support has been shown to be a leading factor in improving health and safety at work. According to the U.S. Census Bureau:

• 66% of Hispanic households consist of married couples (vs. 50% for all households)
• 70% of Hispanic children live with two parents (vs. 38% for black children and 78% of whites)
• 80% of Hispanic parents reported having dinner with their children every day of the week prior to a recent survey ( vs. 70% of white parents)

The Working Nights Spanish calendar will allow the 78% of Hispanics who report they speak Spanish at home to reinforce their efforts to improve health and safety as a family-unit (although half of these report that they speak English well). A unique motivational tool for employees seeking to improve their security and wellbeing, the Calendar includes color-coded stickers to help workers and their families manage their day-to-day lives. By staying motivated and having a positive attitude, employees can improve their health, enjoy a better work/life balance, and be more productive at work.