St. Thomas study examines the lives of rotational workers 

New Brunswick trades workers have long sought better employment conditions in other provinces, but the latest generation of workers has been employed as part of a rotational workforce, which adds additional stress for workers and their families.

Recent research on the topic suggests that this continuous back and forth between home and work—with workers often away for several weeks or even months at a time—puts added strain on themselves, their families, and their connection to community.

Workers shared stories with us about their experiences travelling for work “out west” as part of a research project led by St. Thomas University sociology professors Matthew Hayes and Tracy Glynn. Our study looked at how temporary rotational work effected their lives, families, and communities. While most of the study’s participants were men who had worked out West throughout the 2010s and early 2020s, women also participated.

New Brunswick rotational workers work in conditions that generate high levels of stress and exhaustion from travelling back-and-forth just to maintain their lives in New Brunswick. Having few other options, many learn to “just deal with it” and handle the stress individually, actively keeping their mind exclusively on the job at hand. In some cases, this may even be a sign of personal success, despite potential costs in terms of health and relationships.

Workers who shared their stories of rotational work all expressed high levels of stress. Whether it was from travelling and the accompanying delays, working long shifts (12-14 hour days) during longer rotations (2-3 weeks straight), or being away from their families and loved ones, rotational worker’s living in New Brunswick struggle to maintain a good balance between work and life. Much of this stress was a product of work conditions away from home and community. 

“It takes a toll. You know, you live here, you have a relationship through phone calls, and that’s it. That’s how you communicate instead of face-to-face conversations over supper every night,” said one participant, describing their struggle to keep in contact with family back home. Another participant expressed similar issues: “It’s hard to get calls at night. Sometimes my kid has a fever, my girlfriend is sick, and I’m at work, and the only thing you can do is talk. Hopefully, everything’s gonna be better tomorrow, but there’s nothing that you can do.” Maintaining a healthy balance between work and life becomes increasingly challenging when a family’s livelihood is dependent on rotational work on the other side of the country. 

Despite the stress, many New Brunswick workers continue to participate in rotational work. Living in one of Canada’s most economically depressed provinces, residents of New Brunswick are no strangers to low wages and limited job opportunities. One participant stated: “… there’s no opportunities in New Brunswick. With four kids, you have to have a pretty decent income to raise four kids and try to save up for education for them.” The increase in income was the primary motivation for these workers as they cannot find the means in their home province. 

Many expressed to us a desire to stay in New Brunswick, but cannot find a means of supporting their families: “I think, ideally, I mean, most people would stay in New Brunswick, work in New Brunswick, and want to thrive in New Brunswick, but it’s just not plausible for everybody… You want to be able to put your kids in hockey and want to… fix up your house, or just normal things… It’s very difficult, in New Brunswick.” Facing poor economic conditions, workers in the province feel they have no other option for work other than to go “Out West.” One participant expressed this mentality: “The balance is hard, but you kind of almost not ever say no to money when you don’t make a whole lot because we’re a one-income family.” 

While stress is an occupational hazard in many professions, our findings reveal how the unique conditions of stress for rotational workers may be under-recognized, leading to fewer social supports for workers and families. Faced with these difficult conditions, most workers have no recourse due to the nature of their work and reported having to “just deal with it.” Their lack of strong community ties additionally contributes to a lack of emotional support to combat feelings of loneliness and isolation, furthering over-reliance on individual strategies of self-help. 

The dependence on rotational work has also taken its toll on communities in New Brunswick, leaving workers with precarious jobs which take them away from their homes and loved ones. The most straightforward solution would be for greater investment in local economic development as well as an increase in the diversity of skill training available in the province. 

The Build Canada Homes initiative, for instance, offers opportunities for the province to build career pathways for trades people in the construction sector. A proper industrial policy would seek value-added linkages between government-backed construction of affordable housing and more jobs for trades workers, with opportunities to bridge the pay gap between west and east. These opportunities may not be suitable, however, for all skilled trades people.

In the meantime, acknowledging the burden of stress rotational work places on New Brunswick workers may act as a catalyst for the development of stronger community support and collaborative problem-solving to ensure New Brunswickers who decide to go “out west” for work can remain connected to their families and communities.  

Tyler McCormick is a social researcher who studies rotational work and gender in New Brunswick. Matthew Hayes is professor of sociology and Canada Research Chair in Global and Transnational Studies at St. Thomas University.

Acknowledgements: This project, New Brunswickers in the Global Economy, was made possible through research support from the Canada Research Chairs Program. We also acknowledge the research support and work of Tracy Glynn and Kelsey Fawcett. Thank you also to our participants.