The prevailing wisdom of hiring managers regarding shift work has been to hire single workers whenever possible.

The nature of hourly work - doing time on a weekend graveyard shift, for instance - is usually considered to be less of a challenge for unmarried employees than for workers with families.

But a new study from Sarah Ipsa, a human resources specialist with OKI Systems Ltd., a materials handling firm based in Cincinnati and Mark Nagy, a Xavier University researcher and assistant professor of psychology, suggests that contrary to popular thought, married people who work shifts have a more satisfying life and outlook on their job than single people who work the same hours.

The research was conducted by Ipsa as part of her thesis for a master of arts degree in industrial organizational psychology from Xavier.

She found that unmarried shift workers who were far more unhappy about their jobs and plight than their married counterparts perhaps felt that way because the unusual hours of the shift work put a crimp on leisure time.

The researchers found that married couples with children are more likely to appreciate shift work - perhaps because it allows a greater degree of flexibility on child care. Staggered hours allow families to care for children without day care.

The survey measured perceptions and feelings of 200 second- and third-shift workers employed at several organizations, including a local hospital and manufacturer.

About 14.5 million Americans work on shifts outside the realm of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. More than half are in the service sector.

Unmarried people without children had a score of a 3.5 out of 5 on the job satisfaction scale, compared to 4.1 for married people who have children.

"That is a significant difference," she said.

When she started the study, Ipsa believed that unmarried shift workers would be happier than married workers.

"None of my hypotheses were supported," she said. "It was counter-intuitive to what I thought I would find: That single shift workers without responsibility of a family, including spouse or children, would have greater life and job satisfaction."

Her advice to hiring managers at factories, hospitals and in other occupations is to keep an open mind when considering who is most appropriate for a job.

They should not be afraid that unmarried individuals would be more likely to view the work and the hours in a negative light.

Could it be that people with children don't mind the odd hours because work does, in fact, take them away from their family and their significant other? That work becomes a welcome escape?

"That might very well be the case," Ipsa concluded.

E-mail jeckberg@enquirer.com