Current Events > Any current/former night-shifters here? Thinking of going to 1st shift

(+) Yeah! (+)

Been doing these hours for 5+ years and finally have hit a point where I think I'm just done with it.

I'll be taking a pay cut but having a consistent 6am-2:30pm schedule sounds lovely right about now

The past few months more work has been put on my position, micro-management has gone up, you walk in and see the volume in the warehouse and think, "Hey, we should be out by X...." then they send people home to save hours and make the night longer for everyone else, just getting ridiculous

I spent close to a decade on Swing shift which was 1st shift on Monday, 2nd shift on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 3rd shift on Thursday and Friday night.

I disliked the short 48 hour weekend and Sunday being my only day I wasnt at the plant. I hated the 3rd shift night and got very little sleep from Thursday morning until Saturday night. I could only ever sleep 2 to 3 hours after 3rd shift no matter how tired I was. Once 1100 hit I was up for the day.

After being up all night on Thursday and Friday and barely sleeping until Saturday night and then sleeping like the dead until Sunday I could never fall asleep Sunday night. That schedule really took its toll on me.

Been on 2nd for like a decade now. Its my favorite shift. Go to bed when tired, wake up naturally when rested. No alarm clock, always fully rested. Feels the most natural. I love it. 1st shift is ok. I have no issues getting up but ultimately you feel forced into going to bed by a certain time and if you stay up late you feel a bit tired the next day. I can do it, but Ill take 2nd every time before it.

@archizzy

My job has 2 shifts

1st 6am-2:30pm
2nd 2:30pm-whenever the work is done

Im the lead of my department and starting this week they have my other 2 team members coming in 30-1hr later(to save hours) but us 3 would get the day started for the pullers that come in at 3:30pm..another reason Im ready to change

We had a solid routine now it all rests on me to get the day started for everyone, which given a couple weeks Im sure I can find my
own routine and get it done, basically boils down to me not wanting too

Plus, tired of relying on the pullers to do their job right and get us out at the right time, most dont have the work ethic like it used to be with the old crew

It was going good when Friday nights wed be out by 7-8pm, basically a half day, and again, theyre getting rid of people that day to save hours which extends the day to 10-11pm

Night shifts only work if you have a good support team there with you. I've done 2 types of night shifts. I worked security pulling 14-16 hour nights, and I worked retail. Management-wise they were the same. Assholes with more power than they deserve, and with retail, we had 4 of them all wanting things done in different ways. Security I only had to get my schedule from the guy and that was the limitation to our interactions. What made him an asshole is that he actually got fired from that job for overworking his employees. During the stint of a single month I worked 29/30 days, with 1 day off in the middle, pulling 14-16 hour nights.

I loved working security overnights, as most of the time I was working power service stations that only needed us there for write-off reasons. We were miles outside the city limits in the middle of the woods so I would just park my car, take a nap and play playstation on a portable dvd player and generator. But mentally I hated it because I very rarely had a day off.

I've worked almost every shift option available. I'm currently working a 3a-11a shift with Sundays and Wednesdays off.

Work whichever shift you think is best for your physical and mental health.

SunWuKung420 posted...

I've worked almost every shift option available. I'm currently working a 3a-11a shift with Sundays and Wednesdays off.

Work whichever shift you think is best for your physical and mental health.

Those are 2 key factors as well, used to like coming to work this shift, not for the work really but for the people, now I just dread it every day when I get within a quarter-mile of the building

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


That and can't remember the last home-cooked meal I've had, besides on weekends

it takes a heavy physical toll on your body. There are some benefits, but it's definitely the young man's game. i would be VERY reluctant to do it in my 30s. And i outright wouldn't do it in my 40s.

Naysaspace posted...

it takes a heavy physical toll on your body. There are some benefits, but it's definitely the young man's game. i would be VERY reluctant to do it in my 30s. And i outright wouldn't do it in my 40s.

Turned 37 last November, I moved up from the back-breaking work when I started, now its more mental stress