How bad are rolling shifts of stupid hours? / New job suggestions

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Ian Mc
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Re: How bad are rolling shifts of stupid hours?

Post by Ian Mc »

I think 4 on 4 off might be OK. I worked 3 on 3 off 12 hr days and nights for about 6 years and it turned out not too bad. With 4 off you get a decent break between runs, gives you time to recover and time to do stuff!
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Re: How bad are rolling shifts of stupid hours?

Post by suicidal_orange »

I did two weeks of 10PM-6AM a month or so ago, for the first two days I barely slept so doing 8 hours easy work on day 3 was hard and I was wide awake at 4AM for the whole week after (having gone to bed at ~1AM after a late shift), this would be actual work requiring a brain and 12 hours of it which just wouldn't be possible having slept 'normal' for 11 days. Also my only social life is at the weekend as everyone else works Mon-Fri and 50% of that would be lost, and finally I don't want want to work for a place that thinks it is acceptable to force this change on anyone.
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Re: How bad are rolling shifts of stupid hours? / New job suggestions

Post by Lavaine »

I've done 4 on / 4 off, 12 hour shifts for 24 years. It's what you make of it. I work marginally more than the average bloke (42 hours per week), and am well compensated with a decent shift differential for the nights and weekends.
Downsides: I miss some family events and holidays, and have to plan weekend activities around my schedule. It IS work to maintain friendships when you don't have the same evenings and weekends off schedule.
Upsides: extra pay thanks to shift diff. I haven't had to deal with weekend crowds at a golf course/ski hill/bike trail/grocery store etc for the last 20 years unless I chose to. Doctors appointments and haircuts when it's less busy too. Weekdays off are a blessing.
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Re: How bad are rolling shifts of stupid hours? / New job suggestions

Post by exHowfener »

Limited experience though I know plenty people who work sifts. The answer really depends on you - some people love them, some hate them. A bit like asking what it's like working early mornings. If you're a morning person, no problem. If you're a night owl, not so good.
If it helps at all, I walked away from a workplace that I'd come to hate after 26 years in the job and set up my own gardening business, you don't need much equipment to start with. I'm slowing down now and turning down work to spend more time at home but I've never regretted that decision for one minute.
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Re: How bad are rolling shifts of stupid hours? / New job suggestions

Post by suicidal_orange »

Lavaine wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:48 pmI've done 4 on / 4 off, 12 hour shifts for 24 years. It's what you make of it.
All I can see is 12 hours at work, an hour either end for travel etc, 8 hours trying to sleep and an hour to cook/eat/clean the kitchen leaves an hour a day to do anything. Currently I cycle to get some exercise and that would be the hour used - I guess if I lived on frozen pizza I could shower while it cooks :shock:
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Re: How bad are rolling shifts of stupid hours? / New job suggestions

Post by watchaholic »

^^^^You are not wrong in any of your observations about a 12 hr shift. They can be brutal, with very little time to do anything but sleep and work. Made worse when adding in drive time. Not perfect, but very few things in this life are. I guess for me, the shift differential is the deciding factor. Nothing like prostituting yourself to the almighty dollar. Not an easy decision. Some people I work absolutely wouldn't do it. Others like myself find ways to make it work. Thankfully my family is grown, so not as big a deal.
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