After the decision was made, I was very keen to defend the value of a day set aside from work where employees can separate themselves from the stresses of work and stop, rest and enjoy the things of importance to us such as our faith.
However I have to accept the reality that it has only been in the last four centuries that government has attempted to legislate Sunday activity. And formally only since the 19th century that governments and society has developed 'Sunday Legislation'. Sadly this has often extended to the ridiculous with rules such as the banning the kissing of babies, telling of jokes and playing musical instruments on a Sunday.
In many public and private service organisations the operating arrangements are 24/7 and consequently employers rely on their workforces to be flexible and prepared to adapt and change as the services provided develop and change. In the NHS we are very fortunate to have a workforce that is both resilient and committed always putting the patient first. However this challenges the expectations of individual staff especially if they wish to avail of Sunday worship.
As a Christian I will always vote for taking a day away from work to focus on faith, belief, worship, rest, family and friends. But I must not forget that the Christian faith created the, 'Sabbath for man and not man for the Sabbath', saddling it with extra-biblical requirements and legalistic strictness only makes to weaken the value of the freedoms it is designed to give us.
Numerous studies have proved the significant benefit to employers of ensuring their employees have fully satisfying lives that incorporate work as an integral part of their whole life experience. Unfortunately the development of pocket size technology has created an "always available" scenario that all too quickly becomes 'always working'.
Such approach to working life may appear to have short term benefits in terms of apparent commitment but will always result in burnout and loss of focus. This is all the more noticeable in the caring professions where experts are developing thinking around worrying concepts such as compassion fatigue.
The solution is to engage with staff and work closely with them to understand their cultural and faith needs and to work with them to find how best to integrate their whole life expectations as individuals into the day-to-day operating arrangements of the organisation.
However this requires mutual understanding and compromise. I commend Celestina for her strong views especially when I see our secular culture has made Sunday for many people just a day to cram in more shopping. But in the absence of an absolute faith requirement I would suggest the solution does not lie in the courts but rather it rests with employers and employees working together to ensure we create operating models that are structured in a way that acknowledges the need for staff to have adequate rest and where possible time off at mutually agreeable times.
The working time directive gives us a structure to work with and ensures there is an adequate mix of work and rest but it does not imply mutuality. Good employers are already working with staff and their representatives to ensure shift patterns are workforce modeling is equitable for all and staff must be allowed to see and understand the process so that they will feel there working patterns are fair and equitable.
Graham White (pictured), HR director at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
