Shift work advice
Discussion
Yeah I can imagine doing it for 6yrs, you'd want a change.
If you don't plan on doing it long long term then its decent shift if you just almost forget your family life while your 'on' shift. Trying to still maintain a life 'on' shift will really mess your body up.
I'm 12hr shifts but I do 14days 'on' straight, 14 off.
If you don't plan on doing it long long term then its decent shift if you just almost forget your family life while your 'on' shift. Trying to still maintain a life 'on' shift will really mess your body up.
I'm 12hr shifts but I do 14days 'on' straight, 14 off.
Shift work is the way forward , especially 12 hr stuff where you get amazing amounts of time off. And 20k shift allowance is fantastic.
I`ve worked all sorts and Mon to Fri is a slow death. How people do it is beyond me.
I`ve been on it for 9 weeks and its dire, role on Feb when I get onto shifts. Your life gets so much better with time to yourself and days off to do family stuff.
I`ve worked all sorts and Mon to Fri is a slow death. How people do it is beyond me.
I`ve been on it for 9 weeks and its dire, role on Feb when I get onto shifts. Your life gets so much better with time to yourself and days off to do family stuff.
I worked shifts for years.
There is nothing in the few positives that comes anywhere near to compensating for the negatives.
Amongst the many negatives, you'll need to get used to missing out on social events due to being at work when everyone else is doing fun stuff; the slightly sickly feelings many people on shifts have due to having to eat when your body isn't expecting it; sleep deprivation; etc., etc.
There is nothing in the few positives that comes anywhere near to compensating for the negatives.
Amongst the many negatives, you'll need to get used to missing out on social events due to being at work when everyone else is doing fun stuff; the slightly sickly feelings many people on shifts have due to having to eat when your body isn't expecting it; sleep deprivation; etc., etc.
Leroy902 said:
I've worked shifts at work before, 6-2-
,2-10, 10-6. 3 crew rotation every week.
It's a horrible shift pattern.
I'm now on a permanent 6-2 hour shift, and over the moon even with the loss of afew hundred pounds a month from shift allowance.
rotation is the issue , even if some want trotation there is nothign stopping an employer offering a proption of theroles as fixed shift or rotational ... ,2-10, 10-6. 3 crew rotation every week.
It's a horrible shift pattern.
I'm now on a permanent 6-2 hour shift, and over the moon even with the loss of afew hundred pounds a month from shift allowance.
Depending on the setup there may be reasons / concersn about night shift de -skilling in certain things but that can be reolved by requiring a certain number of weeks on days each quarter / year ... but that depends on the situation if somewhere is genuinely a 24/7 operation without a diurnal variation in activity ( which is why the Health Service is reluctant to have permanent nightsunless it#'s forced by Occ health or a valid flexible working request) or is supporting international colleagues ...
pim said:
I 've worked shifts for over 4o years.
For the extra money and nothing else.If there is always a big if would never do it again.Bad for your health and social live.Awake when you should be in sleep and visa versa.
This is entirely dependent upon shift pattern though isn't it. I spend 10-12 weeks a year outside the country on holiday thanks to my shift work. It might knock a few years off my life expectancy but I'm living more than any 9-5er I know. I only get £6300 a year for my shift work although in reality I couldn't do the job if I didn't so it's a token payment.For the extra money and nothing else.If there is always a big if would never do it again.Bad for your health and social live.Awake when you should be in sleep and visa versa.
Rick101 said:
Are you going for it OP?
Yup! After discussing it with my wife and taking all the comments you guys have given me on board I have decided to give it a go for 6 months and see how it works out.Initially my wife was dead against it as we already have a pretty good routine set up but a few adjustments on both sides and she has come round to my way of thinking.
Wish me luck!
p.s. Thank you to everyone who took the time to give their honest opinion. It really is much appreciated.
Good luck. See how it goes. 6 Months will be a good test to see if it works in your routine. All the best 
My Mrs works in a Hopsital so does 3 days a week 7:30-8.
Sounds good? She hates it. Up at 6, home at nearly 9, it takes her a day to recover.
It also means I have to wake up at 6 as I can't often get back to sleep.. but that's OK, I sleep easier that night
My Mrs works in a Hopsital so does 3 days a week 7:30-8.
Sounds good? She hates it. Up at 6, home at nearly 9, it takes her a day to recover.
It also means I have to wake up at 6 as I can't often get back to sleep.. but that's OK, I sleep easier that night
Staplebug said:
Yup! After discussing it with my wife and taking all the comments you guys have given me on board I have decided to give it a go for 6 months and see how it works out.
Initially my wife was dead against it as we already have a pretty good routine set up but a few adjustments on both sides and she has come round to my way of thinking.
Wish me luck!
p.s. Thank you to everyone who took the time to give their honest opinion. It really is much appreciated.
Personally I'd put the equivalent time and energy in furthering my skills to increase my salary rather than work rubbish hours and not see my young children... might be different if they were older.Initially my wife was dead against it as we already have a pretty good routine set up but a few adjustments on both sides and she has come round to my way of thinking.
Wish me luck!
p.s. Thank you to everyone who took the time to give their honest opinion. It really is much appreciated.
xjay1337 said:
Good luck. See how it goes. 6 Months will be a good test to see if it works in your routine. All the best
My Mrs works in a Hopsital so does 3 days a week 7:30-8.
Sounds good? She hates it. Up at 6, home at nearly 9, it takes her a day to recover.
It also means I have to wake up at 6 as I can't often get back to sleep.. but that's OK, I sleep easier that night
However some people thrive on long days and find it very benefitical for their health, not to forget the possibility of 6 days off without using leave ( work monday, tuesday, thursday, then thursday, sat , sun the next week) ...My Mrs works in a Hopsital so does 3 days a week 7:30-8.
Sounds good? She hates it. Up at 6, home at nearly 9, it takes her a day to recover.
It also means I have to wake up at 6 as I can't often get back to sleep.. but that's OK, I sleep easier that night
Ms R.Saucy said:
However some people thrive on long days and find it very benefitical for their health, not to forget the possibility of 6 days off without using leave ( work monday, tuesday, thursday, then thursday, sat , sun the next week) ...
I guess so. In my Mrs case, I think you have to take days off 2 weeks in advance, her shifts are available to her for 8 week chunks I think. Her days are not set in terms of X days on Y days off, she may do Mon Tues Thurs one week then Sun Mon Tues the next.
If you want to book dates off further than the shift rota shows, you HAVE to take as holiday even though your shifts may not naturally fall on that day. So your holiday CAN in some cases go very quickly.
The factory I do some work with gives out a 5 year continental shift calendar to the workforce and the shifts and holidays are set in stone.. 1 week around Easter, 2 weeks in summer, one week in autumn and about 10 days at Christmas. No floating days allowed and anything outwith the fixed rota has to be an agreed swap with someone from another shift. The 1st shift to have their summer holiday actually come off and go back to work before the schools come off for summer.
I always thought it a bit weird to know your exact days off work 5 years in advance.
I always thought it a bit weird to know your exact days off work 5 years in advance.
Ive worked shifts for 15 years or so now, I worked shifts on and off before that, id say if I could turn the clock back id give them a miss, unless you are on your own. Working shifts with a family causes no end of issues and they really mess you up. 20k isnt a lot of money when it comes to shifts, you have to ask why they are offering you such money, its becuase it wrecks your life and 12 hours really really do suck.
Your sleeping routine is seriously messed.
it affects your appetite
it messes your family life.
do you have young kids ?if so then when you are home who is looking after them.
Sleep becomes an obsession - you find that you will slip off to sleep very very easily as you are always tired.
if the job is not active you will put on weight.
you die earlier, that is fact. It affects your health that much as your body is never in a proper cycle.
You need to consider this and accept that your life will be wierd if your out of the normal 9-5 routine. it affects your social life, as sleep is what you want to do when not working.....
me ? I stopped shifts last year and I vow never to work them again. hateful things,
Your sleeping routine is seriously messed.
it affects your appetite
it messes your family life.
do you have young kids ?if so then when you are home who is looking after them.
Sleep becomes an obsession - you find that you will slip off to sleep very very easily as you are always tired.
if the job is not active you will put on weight.
you die earlier, that is fact. It affects your health that much as your body is never in a proper cycle.
You need to consider this and accept that your life will be wierd if your out of the normal 9-5 routine. it affects your social life, as sleep is what you want to do when not working.....
me ? I stopped shifts last year and I vow never to work them again. hateful things,
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