continental shifts

[Broughtonblue]

i might be offered a job that involves continental shifts, 4 12 hour days, 4 days off followed by 4 12 hour nights. at present i do a 3 shift system. does anybody do these continental shifts, and if so what are positives/negatives. as a season ticket holder at the mighty Leicester City i value my weekends so that would be one of the first things to suffer, and i absolutely hate night shifts so doing more is also a downer. on the upside it is about another 6k a year more than what i am on at the minute.
please give me some positives!!!

 

[Ashtrayhead]

I used to do a 12 hour shift pattern in my last job, but ours was worked a bit differently. We'd do 2days/2 nights....4 off....3 days/2nights.....4 off.....2 days/3 nights....5 off.
I hated it! I was permanently tired, eating at the wrong time, and felt like I was constantly at work. One of the problems I found was with the 12 hour gap in shifts, once you've taken into account travelling time, it doesn't leave you with much of a home life, and you're losing a day to sleep and recovery after the last night shift.

 

[potsy]

It gets floted about where I work every time there are pay negotiations.
Nobody I have talked to wants it, the idea of working 12 hours at weekend doesn't appeal, and we were never offered anywhere near 6k either.
4 days off would be nice though

 

[gbb]

I used to work with guys that did 4 on, 4 off...they (almost to a man) loved it.
IIRC you finish a night shift, but with the change over, only effectively get 3 useable days off....but when you finish days, you effectively get 5 days off.

One important thing to check....holidays. My old company insisted on any holiday booked cost you 1.5 days per shift off your entitlement.

 

[TheDoctor]

Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.
Changing your sleep cycle completely around every week? It's like permanent jetlag.
If you hate night shifts I'd run a mile from something that involved being on them for 50% of the time.
I know you're after positives, but I really can't think of one.

 

[Ashtrayhead]

I used to work with guys that did 4 on, 4 off...they (almost to a man) loved it.
IIRC you finish a night shift, but with the change over, only effectively get 3 useable days off....but when you finish days, you effectively get 5 days off.

One important thing to check....holidays. My old company insisted on any holiday booked cost you 1.5 days per shift off your entitlement.

That's a good point. Where I was our annual leave was converted to hours instead of days to cover that.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

I used to work them when I was really young from about 19-25. I hated them as I wanted to be out with mates at weekends. When I was on nights I always felt like crap, when on days I just wanted to go to sleep as I was knackered.

Positives were:

The extra money, the days off and being able to get more done. On nights or weekends there were no bosses about which was always a good thing. The 12 hours days through the week were a real drag when they were all in.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I did a spell of 12 hour nights when I was younger, I absolutely hated it. Once your working week starts that's all you are doing, working and sleeping with no time for anything else.

 

[cyberknight]

Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.
Changing your sleep cycle completely around every week? It's like permanent jetlag.
If you hate night shifts I'd run a mile from something that involved being on them for 50% of the time.
I know you're after positives, but I really can't think of one.

Bad enough when you do 2 weeks of night shift then you hit the weekend and try to sleep.

 

[Nearly there]

I do 4x10 hr shifts a week with 3 days off and find ive adapted well however 12hr shifts is a different ball game

 

[addictfreak]

I work 4 on 4 off. I love it, would never want another shift pattern. The downside, is that you work a lot of weekends.

 

[colly]

I thought this was a thread about tectonic plates.

 

[ASC1951]

I thought this was a thread about tectonic plates.

Oh. Not French undergarments, then?

 

[Headgardener]

Colly you wern't the only one.

 

[gbb]

Just to ressurect this one....ironically ive just come off an unexpected 4 x 12 hr night shifts, just a one off, demands of the business etc etc....the last one was the best.
The first shift certainly, probably the second as well were hard hard work, tired, lethargic, bored. Third was ok, fourth was brilliant, probably because i actually had something to do

12 hour nights are hard...they completely decimate your day. Finish at 6, home at 7, cuppa and a sit round for a while, bed. IF (and thats a big if for me) you get 6 hours sleep..its maybe 2pm. Shower, walk the dog, get something to eat....its time to get ready for work again.
Your entire day is sleeping, working, or getting ready to go...nothing else.

My problem is i work on my own...i can wander into the factory but most of my 'work' is in a workshop. The guys i mentioned before were part of a team of 4...much better for conversation, messing about, just getting you through the night.