shiftwork

12-09-2014 12:59AM

lufties wrote: »

No, im an aviation engineer in london.

Oh. A factory here runs a similar shift. Meant to be awful

lufties · 12-09-2014 01:06AM

Snotaul Goodman wrote: »

Oh. A factory here runs a similar shift. Meant to be awful

Depressing mate, I know.

Andrewf20 · 12-09-2014 01:13AM

Captain Chaos wrote: »

...and managed to get by with less sleep while feeling less tired than working a 40 hour 8:00-16:00 week.

Strangely I find this also. 6hrs kip from 8am - 2pm is grand. Slightly groggy but a shower sorts that. But 6hrs kip at night before getting up for day shift half kills me.

fathead82 · 12-09-2014 02:11AM

I like the night shift,no managers around,everything is nice & relaxed & its great to be driving home to your bed at 8am & seeing everyone on their way to work.Im on nights next week & am looking forward to it

I used to work a shift where i worked 8am to 8pm mon & tues then 8pm to 8am on fri,sat & sun.Then 8am to 8pm wed & thurs.60 hours one week & 24 the following week.I didnt know if it was morning or evening everytime I woke up,terrible shift pattern & very hard on the body.

SeantheMan · 12-09-2014 02:17AM

lufties wrote: »

Ok, anyone else find shiftwork just awful. I've been doing it on and off for 8 years. It makes me cranky, depressed, can't sleep when I need to. It has destroyed the relationship between my and my girlfriend. I really feel shiftwork is ruining my life. Only other option is take a massive paycut and barely get by.

I did it for 4 years, 12hour shifts, with nightshifts thrown in. 8pm-8am or 8am-8pm depending on the week.

I got tired of my job, sick or missing certain days or having to adjust sleeping patterns etc. So I quit.
Life is short, do something you want to do.
You already hate it, go do something you want to do, take the paycut and be a happier person. There is more to life than money.

I moved to a different country after quitting mine, now on regular hours, best decision of my life

FloatingVoter · 12-09-2014 02:43AM

It wasn't full-time so it doesn't really count. But working as an extra on nightshoots meant double the money for half the usual hours. Strolling home at 5.30 as day breaks (nicking a newspaper on the way....) heavenly. Especially when the sum total of the nights work involved getting through a naggin of vodka.

flas · 12-09-2014 02:44AM

I genuienly think work hours are slowly working towards more shift hours in general! I did the 8 to 16:30 for a year and it nearly killed me,I hated it and was so down all the time!good money but ahite living! I have been doing 10 til 18:00 for 3 days and two 18:00 til 03:00 a week for over a year and I love it,so much time between shifts and much happier in general!

Oranage2 · 12-09-2014 04:24AM

Use to to do 12 night shifts for a year and a half, quiting was the best decision I've ever made.

Days off were the worst, you could finish your last shift at 8am and try to stay awake till night time spending the whole day wired, or you could sleep and wake up a 9pm and be awake all the night.

Frito · 12-09-2014 10:33PM

Did shift work for 10 years before swapping to 8-4:30. Found the early start difficult. Think I've always been more of a night owl anyway.
Working 7x12 hour shifts is hard, particularly night shifts in winter. I always seemed to feel more tired, perhaps lack of daylight.

Bafucin · 12-09-2014 11:28PM

lufties wrote: »

Aviation engineering is quite specialized, but I need to get the f##k out of it..I'd advise anyone not to get into aviation..shiftwork in a toxic environment.

I am an engineering PHD and with how much time you put into it I am quite annoyed at the conditions we are expected to put up with in some areas.

God help anyone who goes into tech support. I have mates who not only have to do shift work but can be on call at home 24 hrs giving advice to some f*ckwit god knows where.

God help anyone who is an on call engineer. PagerDuty notifications at inopportune times can rip the piss... engineer call outs etc.

If you have a family etc and younger kids I can imagine it would suck. It's difficult to sleep during the day in a house with young children etc.

Im fairly happy with my own company.

Yeah but what about people who aren't?

lufties · 13-09-2014 12:44AM

Bafucin wrote: »

I am an engineering PHD and with how much time you put into it I am quite annoyed at the conditions we are expected to put up with in some areas.

God help anyone who goes into tech support. I have mates who not only have to do shift work but can be on call at home 24 hrs giving advice to some f*ckwit god knows where.

God help anyone who is an on call engineer. PagerDuty notifications at inopportune times can rip the piss... engineer call outs etc.

If you have a family etc and younger kids I can imagine it would suck. It's difficult to sleep during the day in a house with young children etc.

Yeah but what about people who aren't?

I can resonate with that, I'm not an engineer in the achedemic sense, but work in aircraft maintenance. I always thought it would be rewarding, In fairness I have travelled the world with it but now only feel like I'm half living.

thunderdog · 13-09-2014 12:57AM

I lived with a few lads doing shift work with pfizer. They would do one week of nights then one week of days consecutively.

Their sleep pattern was always out of sink and they seemed a bit spaced a lot of the time.

I've never done shift work before but surely it would be much better doing a month of nights and a month of days rather than one week nights and one week days? And reason why a mnc would do it this way?

pharmaton · 13-09-2014 10:08AM

Did 12 hr night shift at weekends good few years back thought it was the best thing ever as ye get to have the entire week off to recover and arse about. (Days one week nights the next)

Did 12 hour shift work on a weekly basis in a different line of work and wanted to die after a couple of months. Might have been sometjing to do with the fact that I got the same money doing weekend shifts as I did doing three or four in a week in the other place and I was living to work rather than other way around.

I'd do it again in an act for the weekenders if I could.

13-09-2014 10:51AM

Worked a 12 hour shift once a week until about six months ago. Best thing ever, got loads of work done and usually had some snooze time as well, and all for double rates. An ideal student job. Can't imagine doing it 5 days a week though, that would be a life of torture.

Kiwi in IE · 13-09-2014 11:26AM

lufties wrote: »

Ok, anyone else find shiftwork just awful. I've been doing it on and off for 8 years. It makes me cranky, depressed, can't sleep when I need to. It has destroyed the relationship between my and my girlfriend. I really feel shiftwork is ruining my life. Only other option is take a massive paycut and barely get by.

Yeah it's not great! OH and I are both nurses. It's a feckin nightmare for childcare (I've never found a creche thats open all night). Luckily I work part time relief so can somewhat minimise the nightshifts. I can do one at a time with a couple of days in between no problem, but If I do any amount of consecutive nights I can't function for a couple of days afterward.

Then when OH does nights I have to stay put of the house with Little Kiwi for long enough for him to get a decent sleep and he does 4 week blocks. That is a total nightmare, I'd rather it were me on the nights. I can get nothing done and drift around between friends and family's houses waiting until I can go home.

beks101 · 14-09-2014 10:21AM

It's kinda about how you manage your life around them.

Since I've started my current job in a 24 hour office that involves a lot of shift work I've found I no longer have any problems with insomnia - if I lie down for more than five minutes I'm out like a light. My body has just been trained to take sleep at any hour - sometimes 10pm, sometimes 10am, sometimes 3am depending on my schedule.

The odd hours can be handy for things like grocery shopping, gym, bank, etc - I'll often go to the gym after a night shift at about 10am and the place will be half empty, which is bliss. I'll be knackered after it too so no problems sleeping.

In the long run night shifts are just not healthy though. Think I read some study once about people who work night shifts over years don't live as long. I definitely feel it too - I'm more likely to get run down or flued up during a week of nights than any other time. Get a week off to recover after it though so in that sense it's worthwhile.

lufties · 14-09-2014 10:59AM

beks101 wrote: »

It's kinda about how you manage your life around them.

Since I've started my current job in a 24 hour office that involves a lot of shift work I've found I no longer have any problems with insomnia - if I lie down for more than five minutes I'm out like a light. My body has just been trained to take sleep at any hour - sometimes 10pm, sometimes 10am, sometimes 3am depending on my schedule.

The odd hours can be handy for things like grocery shopping, gym, bank, etc - I'll often go to the gym after a night shift at about 10am and the place will be half empty, which is bliss. I'll be knackered after it too so no problems sleeping.

In the long run night shifts are just not healthy though. Think I read some study once about people who work night shifts over years don't live as long. I definitely feel it too - I'm more likely to get run down or flued up during a week of nights than any other time. Get a week off to recover after it though so in that sense it's worthwhile.

I guess its each to their own, it's gone to the stage where I dread alternating shifts which is having a huge impact on my life. In fairness I never get the flu or anything, but my mental health is suffering. Apparently now the people in the know think shiftwork is even worse for you than what was previously thought.

Minera · 14-09-2014 11:43AM

ive been 12 hr shift working for about 5 years , previous to that the I worked 8am-4pm 4pm-12am and 12am-8am with the odd 8am -2pm or 10-6pm and that was soul destroying id have to work 10 days in a fortnight to get my 80 hrs and my days off were rarely together or at the weekend. Ive just left a job where I worked day on day off (I know) and im starting a 3 and 4. But id never cope with a 9-5 imagine listening to the same crap for 5 days solid........no thanks! My bf and I have worked out a system every 2nd weekend is us time and us time only and we're both happy with that, maybe in a few yearscwhen we have children I'll want a 9-5 but for now im good!

beks101 · 14-09-2014 11:43AM

lufties wrote: »

I guess its each to their own, it's gone to the stage where I dread alternating shifts which is having a huge impact on my life. In fairness I never get the flu or anything, but my mental health is suffering. Apparently now the people in the know think shiftwork is even worse for you than what was previously thought.

Yeah if you can't adapt to it and reconcile it with a lifestyle that works for you, probably time to find something more stable. Whenever I'm on a week of early shifts (in for 6.30am) it feels like my life is a lot more balanced than otherwise - plus it's nice to get up early in the morning and feel like a normal person for a change!

I'm prob lucky too in that my boyfriend works weird hours as well so we have no trouble meeting up at odd hours - we'll often have mornings free together or have a few weekdays off at the same time. Would be rare that we'd both be off at the weekend together - couldn't even tell you the last time we woke up late hungover on a Sunday morning!

Miss Lizzie Jones · 14-09-2014 12:30PM

I loved working nights. I miss it.

suicide_circus · 14-09-2014 12:49PM

The problem isnt working nights if nights is all you work, its rotating shift patterns. This messes up your circadian rhythm. Shift Work Sleep Disorder not only causes insomnia, stress, irritability, weight fluctuations and depression, it also puts you at higher risk of developing certain cancers. Not to mention that it can totally mess up your social and family life.

Personally, my pattern changes on an almost daily basis. One day I have to get up at 3am, the next at 1pm, the next at 7am and so on. It's a very unnatural system and I really feel it mentally and physically . Weekends are also a foreign concept to me. Unfortunately I can't quit this job for financial reasons but cant wait to get back to a nice regular pattern at some stage. Get up in the morning, go to sleep at night.

Mint Aero · 14-09-2014 01:18PM

I work 8 to 6 five days a week. 9 to 5 seems like bliss. All my housemates do shiftwork and I feel sorry for them. They have no concept of a weekend and thus have no concept of how to relax.

Shakespeare's Sister · 14-09-2014 01:25PM

suicide_circus wrote: »

The problem isnt working nights if nights is all you work, its rotating shift patterns. This messes up your circadian rhythm. Shift Work Sleep Disorder not only causes insomnia, stress, irritability, weight fluctuations and depression, it also puts you at higher risk of developing certain cancers. Not to mention that it can totally mess up your social and family life.

Personally, my pattern changes on an almost daily basis. One day I have to get up at 3am, the next at 1pm, the next at 7am and so on. It's a very unnatural system and I really feel it mentally and physically . Weekends are also a foreign concept to me. Unfortunately I can't quit this job for financial reasons but cant wait to get back to a nice regular pattern at some stage. Get up in the morning, go to sleep at night.

Yeh rotating shifts are the worst, but constant nights could **** you up too, even if that's all you ever do - the constant darkness, the isolation, the way you have a reverse routine to the norm, and have to fit things around it; the way you probably don't get as good a sleep during the day as you would at night, especially when there's the usual daytime noise going on outside. My mother said working night duty as a nurse nearly drove her to insanity.

I'd work a week of nights every few months no problem - might be kinda interesting even, but constant night shifts would be hell for me.

Tar.Aldarion · 14-09-2014 01:27PM

I wouldn't be able to handle it either OP, some of my friends did it as engineers and were dying to get out of it, as you say it seems much harder when everybody you know is doing regular hours, you are out of sync. I much prefer working normal times that I can choose. Choosing times like 7-3, 8-4, 9-5, 10-6. Weekend off. I like my job so it's fine working that every day.

Intensive Care Bear · 14-09-2014 01:36PM

I've just started back on days after doing 9 months of nights, i'm finding it hell getting up at 05:30, i much prefer working nights and not having to set an alarm.

Corinthcanal · 14-09-2014 01:49PM

I did shift work for 15 years. It was awful.

lufties · 14-09-2014 02:56PM

suicide_circus wrote: »

The problem isnt working nights if nights is all you work, its rotating shift patterns. This messes up your circadian rhythm. Shift Work Sleep Disorder not only causes insomnia, stress, irritability, weight fluctuations and depression, it also puts you at higher risk of developing certain cancers. Not to mention that it can totally mess up your social and family life.

Personally, my pattern changes on an almost daily basis. One day I have to get up at 3am, the next at 1pm, the next at 7am and so on. It's a very unnatural system and I really feel it mentally and physically . Weekends are also a foreign concept to me. Unfortunately I can't quit this job for financial reasons but cant wait to get back to a nice regular pattern at some stage. Get up in the morning, go to sleep at night.

I totally agree with, it affects me in a big way, I don't know how long more I can do it for, its messed me up for long enough.

mikehunts · 14-09-2014 03:20PM

12 hour shifts days/nights/days/nights brutal on the system, constantly tired, grumpy, motivation wiped out. First sniff of a job with normal hours I am off.

lufties · 14-09-2014 03:30PM

mikehunts wrote: »

12 hour shifts days/nights/days/nights brutal on the system, constantly tired, grumpy, motivation wiped out. First sniff of a job with normal hours I am off.

Here here

Meleftone · 14-09-2014 03:39PM

I work 12 hr shifts 7am-7pm or 7pm-7am, a month of days and a month of nights, 3 shifts every second week and 4 every other with 6 months of back end and 6 months front end of the week. Have been working this way for 14yrs now and would'nt change it.

shiftwork

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