Gibson, DWillis, EMerrick, ERedley, BBail, K2023-10-082023-10-082022-12-18Nursing Inquiry, ISSN: 1320-7881 (Print); 1440-1800 (Online), Wiley, 30(3), e12545-. doi: 10.1111/nin.125451320-78811440-1800http://hdl.handle.net/10292/16752This article explores staff work patterns in an Australian residential aged care facility and the implications for high-quality care. Rarely available minute by minute, time and motion, and ethnographic data demonstrate that nurses and care staff engage in high degrees of multitasking and mental switching between residents. Mental switching occurs up to 18 times per hour (every 3 min); multitasking occurs on average for 37 min/h. Labor process theory is used to examine these outcomes and to explore the concepts of high demand and high commitment as core components of work intensification. These conditions of work result in high levels of cognitive burden and stress on staff in managing the multitasking and mental switching, exacerbated by lack of knowledge about residents associated with labor force casualization. These new interpretations of data in relation to mental and manual labor can contribute to understanding, and, therefore, problem solving, in the aged care sector.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in anymedium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. © 2022 The Authors. Nursing Inquiry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/high commitmenthigh demandlabor process theorymental switchingresidential aged carestaff ratiostime and motion4203 Health Services and Systems42 Health SciencesClinical ResearchMental health3 Good Health and Well Being4204 Midwifery4205 NursingAgedHumansAustraliaHomes for the AgedQuality of Health CareAnthropology, CulturalJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1111/nin.12545