Working shifts? Big change on the horizon

[simonF10]

I work shifts 4 on then 6 off. I am reading that some people here are doing 6 on then 4 off. I wouldn’t fancy that myself or 4 on 4 off.

I also get 42.5% shift allowance for the shifts I work so pretty lucky in that respect.

I thought shifts were great when I first started them but as I’m getting older they are getting less appealing. Especially 12 hour nights at the weekend.

Edited by simonF10 on Saturday 3rd February 05:27

[bazza white]

I do 2 days 2 nights and 4 off and love it.I used to do a week of nights and struggled to get out of the sleep pattern on a Saturday but now im up at 11am on first day off and the world is my oister.

I book 4 days off and i get 12 days off or book 8 off and i get 20 days off.

Working 12 hour shifts you will likely get reduced days off (may need to book 1.5 days off for 12 hours off) depends on your company holiday allowance. Im lucky as a mess up with TUPE i get 30 full 12 hour shifts off including bankholidays which i bank.


You do dread going back but you soon get into it and the time flies by.

8 hour nights are horrible. Waiting around all day for your shift to start.

[DJFish]

I do 12hr 8 till 8 day and night shifts with an hour and a half commute either side on a six week rotation.

Pattern is:

Monday Day
Tuesday Day
Wednesday Night (which I'm doing at the moment)
Thursday Night

Off until the following:

Wednesday Day
Thursday Day
Friday Night
Saturday Night
Sunday Night

off until the following:

Friday Day
Saturday Day
Sunday Day
Monday Night
Tuesday Night

followed by:

12 lovely days off

followed by:

A flexi 32hr admin week....repeat for 18 years....no holidays, but shifts can be swapped amongst the team of six.
Am being made redundant in July, not sure how I'm going to cope doing a normal job but I think I've done my time on nights!

Good luck OP.

[sw67]

I do 3 x 12hr on 4 off ( 2 weeks days then 2 weeks nights) Using holidays i can just about make it bearable. Shift work is rubbish - you always feel tired and you will miss every social event. Avoid if you can. That said its not the particular day / night shifts its rotating that kills.

[TheAngryDog]

simonF10 said:

I work shifts 4 on then 6 off. I am reading that some people here are doing 6 on then 4 off. I wouldn’t fancy that myself or 4 on 4 off.

I also get 42.5% shift allowance for the shifts I work so pretty lucky in that respect.

I thought shifts were great when I first started them but as I’m getting older they are getting less appealing. Especially 12 hour nights at the weekend.

Edited by simonF10 on Saturday 3rd February 05:27

42.5% shift allowance! What do you do?

[Ryan_T]

That shift premium sounds pretty low?

We’re at 20% if you work double days which is 0600-1400 one week, 1400 - 2200 the next.

33% for permanent nights, 2200 - 0600.

Then 24.something% for rotating three shift of the above. Which i personally don’t think is enough as it’s the worst out of them all.

[anonymous-user]

Currently work shifts and have had 4 different shift patterns in 5 years with a change coming in soon moving us to 6 on 4 off. It means I lose 15 days off a year. So....new shift pattern, work an extra 15 days/nights a year and no increase in salary, no OT and no toil.

[Nik da Greek]

Just finished a set of earlies when the latest start time was 03:47 I mean, yeah, you might be finished by early afternoon but that's no use when you get home feeling like you've just been skullfked by Mighty Joe Young

Almost rather do nights...

[djc206]

Nik da Greek said:

Just finished a set of earlies when the latest start time was 03:47 I mean, yeah, you might be finished by early afternoon but that's no use when you get home feeling like you've just been skullfked by Mighty Joe Young

Almost rather do nights...

My earlies start at 06:30 and finish at 13:30. Yours sound horrendous by comparison!

Did an hours work last night. Not all shift work is the devils creation!

[croyde]

I used to do nights finishing at 6am. That was mini cabbing in the 80s.

Lately I've just done a few 1am to 1pm shifts in telly.

Bloody horrible. Ruins the day before and the day after. 1 hour commute each way too.

[PapaJohns]

Maybe some one could clarify this for me.......Has my Boss just offered me less holidays than the governments minimum of 5.6wks





They’ve somehow come to the conclusion that the holidays should somehow equal what I currently get working Monday to Friday.
And the second picture is taken from a .gov.uk website

[djc206]

I’m happy to be corrected on the following but that depends on what they’re doing with bank holidays. The 5.6wks includes bank holidays so if you’re getting those as DiLs that would make it legit.

[PapaJohns]

No, we’re expected to work bank holidays if they fall in the shift pattern

[djc206]

PapaJohns said:

No, we’re expected to work bank holidays if they fall in the shift pattern

I suppose 4 on 4 off you’d average 4 BH’s worked and 4 off per year which would take your days off up to the minimum wouldn’t it? I’m not sure if it works like that though.

[PapaJohns]

djc206 said:

I suppose 4 on 4 off you’d average 4 BH’s worked and 4 off per year which would take your days off up to the minimum wouldn’t it? I’m not sure if it works like that though.

I’m not sure it works like that either

Iv been on Gov.uk and used there holiday calculator and that says 19.6 x 12 shifts as annual leave

[djc206]

PapaJohns said:

I’m not sure it works like that either

Iv been on Gov.uk and used there holiday calculator and that says 19.6 x 12 shifts as annual leave

That’s a bit crap only getting statutory minimum. How do you go about taking 0.6 of a shift off? They could at least round it up to 20 the bds!

I wouldn’t work shifts if my leave entitlement was so poor. As much as I love shift work it can be tiring and I’d prefer it be compensated for in time off rather than money.

[PapaJohns]

djc206 said:

PapaJohns said:

I’m not sure it works like that either

Iv been on Gov.uk and used there holiday calculator and that says 19.6 x 12 shifts as annual leave

That’s a bit crap only getting statutory minimum. How do you go about taking 0.6 of a shift off? They could at least round it up to 20 the bds!

I wouldn’t work shifts if my leave entitlement was so poor. As much as I love shift work it can be tiring and I’d prefer it be compensated for in time off rather than money.

As I was unable to attend the meeting today I have emailed said management asking what method they used to come to 16days holiday (it looks to me that there using the current 5weeks/25days we get now against us) and pointed at a minimum we should be getting 19.6 shifts (235.2hrs)

The lads who currently do 6 on 4 off get 247.5hrs annual leave , and the rumour has it there gonna be lumped into the 4/4 system , there’ll be a bloody riot if the lose 50hrs a year in hollybobs

[djc206]

PapaJohns said:

As I was unable to attend the meeting today I have emailed said management asking what method they used to come to 16days holiday (it looks to me that there using the current 5weeks/25days we get now against us) and pointed at a minimum we should be getting 19.6 shifts (235.2hrs)

The lads who currently do 6 on 4 off get 247.5hrs annual leave , and the rumour has it there gonna be lumped into the 4/4 system , there’ll be a bloody riot if the lose 50hrs a year in hollybobs

Jesus that sucks. I get 41 days leave on a 6/4 pattern working 8 hour shifts.

[Nik da Greek]

Yeah, frankly fk that

[anonymous-user]

I’d be questioning the 15%, what’s the point in that!

Our lads get 20% for 6-2 / 2-10, 30% for nights and 40 or 42% for 4/4, plus their holidays.