What roles do team climate, roster control, and work life conflict play in shiftworkers' fatigue longitudinally?

•This study highlights the value and difficulties of longitudinal nursing research.•Control over shift scheduling can have significant effects on fatigue for both two-shift and three-shift workers.•Fatigue increased over time when there was a lack of control over rosters.•A positive team climate reduces fatigue for 2-shift but not 3-shift workers.•Work life conflict was the strongest predictor of concurrent fatigue, but not over time.

The study aimed to examine shiftworkers fatigue and the longitudinal relationships that impact on fatigue such as team climate, work life conflict, control of shifts and shift type in shift working nurses. We used a quantitative survey methodology and analysed data with a moderated hierarchical multiple regression. After matching across two time periods 18 months apart, the sample consisted of 166 nurses from one Australian hospital. Of these nurses, 61 worked two rotating day shifts (morning & afternoon/evening) and 105 were rotating shiftworkers who worked three shifts (morning afternoon/evening and nights). The findings suggest that control over shift scheduling can have significant effects on fatigue for both two-shift and three-shift workers. A significant negative relationship between positive team climate and fatigue was moderated by shift type. At both Time 1 and Time 2, work life conflict was the strongest predictor of concurrent fatigue, but over time it was not.