NotoriousREV

I've started working a regular shift pattern this week and I think it's killing me.

I've just worked 36 out of the last 72 hours and have my last 12 hour day shift tomorrow at 7am. I work 4 on, 4 off with a set of days followed by 2 sets of nights (all 12 hour shifts).

Does anyone have any tips on coping with the change from day to night and back again?

richiewong

No its a bugger, 10 years of shifts and they really kill me
Try booze.

mart360

Just make sure you have a good relationship with your partner/ wife..

i did a similar pattern for 18 months it cost me a marriage and a job!!!

the only advice... on the day of the change overs try to make your waking and sleeping times earlier/ later

it gets slightly better, but its no fun mate

Mart

paulr

You mean 4 days,then 4 days off then 4 nights?
I do 2 days,then 2 nights,then 4 days off,then 2 days,2 nights 4 days off and so on.

The 2 days are okay,the hardest thing is the first night.You've usually been up all day,then you do a night shift.tbh you just have to tough it out,then stay in bed the next day.The last night is okay.

Been doing this for 5 yrs and it does get easier,you get used to it.On nights we always try to get some kip though,around 2am turn the heater full on and you're away for a couple of hours.No bosses around at that time.

That would be my tip,try and get some sleep on nights.Good luck.

NotoriousREV

I know one thing's for sure: I'm looking forward to the "4 off"

MrsREV has already had a go at me after 3 days of shift work for being "moody"

mart360

the first day of nights (u know what i mean) i came home at 7am and slept until

6ish (pm) i restarted work at 9pm!!! by the time i had done the 18months stint,, i was coming home at 7am sleeping until anywhere between 11am & 1pm then getting up!!!!!

you will be amazed how little sleep you need on your clear day after your last night!!

and youl find out how long you sleep that evening!!!!!!

paulr

Its loads better than 9-5,time off in the week,less travelling to work,not having to go shopping on saturdays,no time off for doctors dentist.........and best of all,take 4 shifts off and you get 12 days off.And with 24 days holiday you can do that 6 times a year...........

btw,how many holidays are you allowed.

WH03JAM

Ive been working the 4 on 4 off rota with 18 days off every 7 weeks for 2 yrs now. The only thing that keeps me going is the thought of the 18 days off

Put it this way, when you tally up all the days your actually working in a year, you realize that you only work for 6 months out of every year!! Now thats not bad!!!! But it is true that tthe longer you do these shift the less sleep you need. Im on my last nightshift now before my 4 days off and Ill be up by 11 in the morning

Daryl

Been working shifts for 24 years, just about getting used to it!

Kev_turbo

Shift patter worked here is a strange one but basically involves 7 days and 7 nights every 6 weeks. So only work 4 months of the year and get paid a premium to do it.

Shifts are 6-6 and after a night shift I am up by 2 at the latest, 12 on the last one

Once worked 6 days and 7 nights in 2 weeks. Grumpy as *** and didn't know what day it was.

Kev (at work nights this weekend)

Simon C

I've just joined the 2 days, 2 nights and 4 off brigade. Thing thats puzzling me is my new company say I will average 39 hours a week, how when I work 48 hours in a shift pattern.

22BUK

I used to do 7 12-hour days then 7 12-hour nights then 14 days off. Did it for four years. Lots of time for golf!

Recaro

I've been doing the shift pattern 2 days 2 nights 4 days off (12 hours) for the last 3 months.

Good thing about it is the chance to do overtime,but if i do an extra few shifts you start losing days off. The few bad things are the way you only really get 3 and half days off and I seem to always be working a weekend.

Finding it ok at the moment, money is great but I'm not sure how long I'll be doing it for.

And as for sleeping on a night shift, you are so lucky. Never get to do that, theres always work to be done.

The other thing i like is the annual leave. You take 1 set of shifts off and you have 12 days off.

Just out of curiosity, what does everyone do on shift? I'm an Engineer.

scott8629

My shift is a funny one, it works on 3 weeks on and 2 weeks off.
week1 earlies
0515-1315 Mon to Fri
0515-1715 Sat and Sun

Week2 Afternoons
1315-2115 Mon-Fri
Weekend off

Week 3 Nights
2115-0515 Mon-Fri
1715-0515 Sat and Sun

Then 2 weeks off!!!!!!!

Its not too bad

Scott

Dyney

Simon C,
Unpaid meal breaks?
We used to operate a "slide" shift where every 3rd week you only worked untill 1.45pm on the 2 days. But the company stopped that and now give us unpaid meal breaks (77 mins in a 12 hour shift )

I've been doing 2 day 2 nights and 4 off for just over 8 years.
12 hours is the hardest thing to get used to!!
I switched back to 8 hour days whilst on a project a couple of years ago and the day went so quickly

Sleeping after nights, I find if you can get to bed before the suns up it is soooo much easier. More difficult in the summer months
After your last night don't sleep too long I usually get to bed by 6 and try to get up by about 11, then I find I can go to bed about 11pm and resume a normal life for 4 days

By far the worst think about shift work is when everyone else has a Bank holiday and is out doing things with the family or having a BBQ on a summer night and your off to work

We d have a shift that has a 15 week rotation, never done it and talking to the guys that have I don't want to!!! You never know where you are as it's so complicated. Theres always one person each shift that comes in thinking they are meant to be on shift when they are on rest.

Yep, another Engineer

Billgtt

I used to work 12 hour days, Monday to Friday. But I could never get out of bed in the morning so I switched to nights. Now, and for the last 4 years I work 12 hour nights, 4 on 4 off and I much prefer it.

I find the switch from my days off to my nights on easy. I got up at 0730 this morning and won't go to bed now until 0630 tomorrow morning, and I won't struggle at all. The thing I find hard is switching from my nights on to my days off. Some weeks I'll adjust no problem but other weeks is a nightmare and I end up being up all night and asleep for a few hours in the morning. My eating patterns are all over the place as well so my body clock upped and left home a long time ago. But I still prefer it to working days.

I also find that working 12 hour nights, even though I don't do much actual "work", that the time goes much quicker than days as well. And I prefer being off different days every week than just the set Saturday and Sunday. It makes things so much easier, eg shopping, doctors appointments etc etc. But on the negative side I always seem to end up working Xmas eve night, and new years eve night. Not to forget the weekends whenever something "big" is happening.

Simon C

Just asked 1 of the lads I'm joining and its worked out over a month, apparently there is a formula they use to work it out, but I'm not fussed, I've done this for career prospects and the fact I have just doubled my salary. We do get the chance to get our heads down for a couple of hours in the night, but only if its quiet.

As for what I do I work in the transaction processing and ATM business.

Leslie

Is it really worth the candle SAP, hell of a way to have to go on and it won't do your health much good either.

Les

yoza

Ive done them all.

Days

Earlies

Nights

Three shifts

12hrs

Two weeks on two weeks off

Continental

4 on 4 off

Swing shift

Mini shift

Weekend only

You name it.

My advice............become a school teacher.

Any shifts other than days ***** you up, being tired leads to irritable behaviour, aggression, short temperedness and the inabillity to spell....or was that the steroids?...whatever.

At one stage I was seeing my other half for 5 mins, and that was as we passed on the stairs, me going to bed in the morning after night shift, and her going to work.

I got stomach ulcers from eating hot food at 0400hrs, because my body wasnt used to it.

I was waking up after nightshift weeks on Saturday knackered, so a quick snooze in the day, then BINGO awake all night, thinking where is everyone ?

If youve got to do it, youve got to do it.....

Daz34

I do four on four off & love this shift pattern. It's great for midweek breaks away and the like but can be a pain if your partner only gets weekends off as I only get one free weekend in every eight. The only thing I have to do is force myself to get some sleep between the night shifts instead of surfing on here, like today

Darren

hugo

Here's what you chaps need

NotoriousREV

In answer to an earlier question, I get 34 days holiday. I'll hardly be in work!

I won't see any of the 9-5 bunch until the 18th of Jan now as I'm either working nights, weekends or during the Xmas shutdown, they'll probably think I've quit, LOL

I'm a 24x7 Network Engineer (although my job so far seems to consist of restarting IIS twice in a 12 hour shift )

MrsREV is due to give birth in early Jan, so I'm hoping that the 4 days off will give me more time at home with them at first and then maybe save a couple of days childcare a week when she goes back to work. It's also been hinted at that once I get my CCNA I'll end up working on the day shift, so when I get sick of it I can give them up

wah

I'm bak in tonite for 4 good old wekends guess I will just have to take the Xbox in again and spend the best part of my night on that !!!!

NotoriousREV

The night shift were so bored last night, they rigged up the extenal PA system to one of the computers and played Robin Williams "Good Morning Vietnam" samples for me when I arrived at 7am. It was well fecking loud! I bet the local residents weren't too pleased

NotoriousREV

Ooh, just noticed, only 35 mins to go until my 4 days off starts! Not bad, off from 7pm Saturday night until 7pm Thursday night!

Peccant

All right for some - I'm here 'til 6am now

scott8629

Im here until 0515 tomorow, then back at 1715 home again at 0515 monday and thats mee for a cool two weeks!

lmsbman

I do whats called a variable **** pattern. We work three shifts and two days off, then four shifts and three days off. The block of shifts will be the same e.g. three earlies then two days off, four nights three days off, three lates two days off. The main advantage to this is more days off.
I've been doing this pattern for the last two years but have worked shifts for 16 years. In the last few months, when I'm on nights, I tend to go to bed at 8am, sleep til 12pm, get up then go back to bed at 5pm for a couple of hours. By doing this, for some reason, I have found it a lot easier to re-adjust my body clock after nights. It might sound odd, but works for me

StickyMicky

agreed
im ****en well happy that i dont have to do them anymore

except i now do 10 hours a day 7 days a week lol
but im better off, (so i keep telling myself) lol

corradoboy

I work 3x 12's a week, fri/sat/sun nights. Start 6pm fri, done at 6.30am monday. I find if I can grab a couple of hours sleep at work sunday night then I'm OK on monday to stay up all day. If I'm tired when I finish then I try to grab 4 hours or so, but that's when it gets difficult, 'cos it's so easy to stay in bed for 8+, then your sleep pattern's fooked all week. Cue moods, head full of socks, marital issues etc If you get it right though, 4 1/2 day weekend every week plus there's no gaffers on the w/e nightshift so it's a nice chilled atmosphere. Usually get enough done on friday and saturday to allow time for a DVD and Top Gear on sunday night, and even a wee nod