Do many of you work shifts?
How do you find the work/family life balance? How do you manage sleep when you've done night shifts?
Would you happily change to day shifts if you could?
Thinking of a career change and it could involve shift work.
Mrs |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
 |
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
I normally work days, but have done nights in the past, and doing nights this week just to help out. When on nights, can be like passing ships with other half, and don't get to spend much time with her daughter either. I'm not the best of sleepers whether doing days or nights, but manageable.
What sort of shift work may you be doing? Like a mixture of days, backs and nights? |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"I normally work days, but have done nights in the past, and doing nights this week just to help out. When on nights, can be like passing ships with other half, and don't get to spend much time with her daughter either. I'm not the best of sleepers whether doing days or nights, but manageable.
What sort of shift work may you be doing? Like a mixture of days, backs and nights? "
4 long day shifts, 3 days off, 3 shifts tea time until 2am, 3 days off, only 1 Saturday off in a month. I've only ever worked 9 till 5. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
Years ago used to work shifts in IT in the city. It was 7 days on, 5 days off. 3 rotations - early am to early pm. Early pm to evening. All night.
Pros:
great to have extended period off between shift rotations. The extra two days at the end of the 5 day week was not really noticeable.
Extra shift pay was very handy
Could take 7 days off to go on holiday but only use two days of AL.
Cons:
Transition between shifts took a bit of getting used with sleep pattern.
It made joining in with anything regular like gym or evening classes challenging as missed 2 out of three weeks sessions.
Working weekends when friends and family are socialising.
|
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
I worked shifts, including nights, for 30 years. Messed up family life, social life. Good from a work perspective, but I missed out on stuff with the family and was lucky to get one weekend in four. Totally knackered my sleep pattern. when I stopped working shifts, I looked forward to sleeping like a normal person. Hasn't happened and that was over 7 years ago. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
I work 6 on 3 off, mix of Earlies, Lates and Nights..
Used to play havoc with Family life, but you make plans around it.
Collecting kids from school after an Early, taking them when on Nights and Lates..
It works for some, it'll just take time to get into the pattern..
Now living on my own, so not really a major issue for me |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
You never know until you work them how you'll react to working shifts if you do the way I manage the sleep is to make sure I don't go to bed straight away when I get home if you do you end up exhausted and ready for sleep as you come to the end of a shift. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
Inked works 6 nights a wk 
Hes a milkman. They are on about dropping to 5 nights a wk from next yr but its very hard on us more so now im trying to juggle 3 dependant kids(1 who is type 1 diabetic) as well as my part time job..i thankfully only work 3 days a wk.
We literally only have saturdays to do things together as a family and fab wise. It can be quite stressful.
Miss |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
I think I preferred regular hours.
Shifts aren't a massive problem to me because I live by myself, so I'm fortunate in the sense that my life is very flexible. Plus I like napping!
The major problem is planning ahead.
With regular hours you can say 'yes, I'll be there that weekend in January' but atm I simply don't know what days I can do next month because the rota hasn't been done yet! |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
As much as it seems you get additional days off reality is you don't.
Faith faith has worked night shift for 20 years Monday to thursday 8pm to 7am. Spends most of day Friday sleeping so day off wasted. Monday will end up going 24 hrs with no sleep as this is here house work day will be up by 9am no sleep go on shift Monday night and not get to bed until Tuesday 9am.
She is actively looking to get of nights as it simply isn't health especially after 20 years. This time of year sees no daylight so victim D deficiency. Which is coming among night workers as you get vitamin D from sunlight and day light.
The additional shift pay is beneficial but do you put that above health. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
I work a mix of days and nights… 12 hour shifts. When the kids were young it was hard, the childcare/ sleeping/ family time. Now… I’d say it’s much easier, it’s just a matter of being organised ( which I’m not  ). The kids prefer it because I’m home at different times of the day…so around for different things.
Nights are hard to get used to… and you really have to work/ sleep/ rest… and sod the housework!!! Good luck x |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"I normally work days, but have done nights in the past, and doing nights this week just to help out. When on nights, can be like passing ships with other half, and don't get to spend much time with her daughter either. I'm not the best of sleepers whether doing days or nights, but manageable.
What sort of shift work may you be doing? Like a mixture of days, backs and nights?
4 long day shifts, 3 days off, 3 shifts tea time until 2am, 3 days off, only 1 Saturday off in a month. I've only ever worked 9 till 5."
A 2am finish is ok - the hardest part of a night shift is from 2 - 5
Getting home then is easy to sleep. If your partner puts their stuff out the night before so they can slip out on the morning and you don't have noisy kids it should be easy enough to get your sleep. Being away all night is probably harder for the one at home but 3 every fortnight is manageable. I find them easy enough, my ex wife used to really struggle - it sends to depend on the person.
Mr |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
Four on, four off. Two days, two nights for seven weeks then seven weeks where it is constant lates/early nights/mid shifts. All between 10 and 12 hours not including the inevitable overtime. Reasonable work/life balance. Good for day time meets and has its benefits. Suits me although hopefully I start in a new role in April which will be more Monday to Friday which I’m not looking forward to but looking forward to having a better, healthier routine. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
I used to work 12 hour night shifts, with 2 hours of commuting each way. I got to sleep when I got home and woke up after about 6 hours sleep.
It does fuck up your body clock, make sure your company carries out a shift work assessment. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"Do many of you work shifts?
How do you find the work/family life balance? How do you manage sleep when you've done night shifts?
Would you happily change to day shifts if you could?
Thinking of a career change and it could involve shift work.
Mrs"
I did shift work for four years between 2007 and 2011. Mixture of nights, earlies and days. I was younger of course, so handled it well but wouldn’t do it now. I think the body’s circadian rhythm is disrupted way too much by the irregular work/sleep patterns. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"Do many of you work shifts?
How do you find the work/family life balance? How do you manage sleep when you've done night shifts?
Would you happily change to day shifts if you could?
Thinking of a career change and it could involve shift work.
Mrs
I did shift work for four years between 2007 and 2011. Mixture of nights, earlies and days. I was younger of course, so handled it well but wouldn’t do it now. I think the body’s circadian rhythm is disrupted way too much by the irregular work/sleep patterns. "
I was single too and didn’t have kids which also made it a lot easier. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
» Add a new message to this topic
