Who Does Shift Work?

[HLxDrummer]

Thinking about a job that is shift work and wondering how bad it really is. Sounds ok now but I am wondering if I will hate waking up at 2AM when I am 50YO.

What do you guys think that have done it/are doing it?

[93STLTH]

I've been working shift work for the past 28 years. I actually prefer the night shift over the days, but everyone is different. On days, I have to wake up at 4am, and that can be tough on the body when you're rotating shifts, I find it hard to stay awake all day. I have no trouble sleeping during the day and staying up all night though. Fortunately, I've got a co-worker who's the opposite, so we switch shifts and I work back to back night shift rotations and don't have to work any days except for training or overtime.
It's important to make your sleep environment as quiet and dark as you can so you can sleep during the day. That can be tough if you're married and have kids, but they'll all have to learn that 10am for you is like 3am for them. I'm single, so this has never been an issue for me.
I think the one part that I haven't completely figured out is how to get back on a normal sleep schedule after working 2 weeks in a row of nights. The body still want's to sleep during the day and no amount of caffeine seems to help.

[HLxDrummer]

Do you think you would still be at the job if you had to rotate days/nights?

Part of the appeal of the job is that I have more time "off", but I am worried I will just spend that time sleeping so it won't really be a benefit. Know what I mean?

I think I could do any shift if I had to, but the switching part will be hard. Someone told me you only have like 3 night shifts/month, though.

[93STLTH]

I've had times where I had to work both days and nights, and like I said, the days are harder for me to stay awake, but if you're busy enough, you won't notice.
There are different strategies for recovering after the nights, I've tried to stay awake for the whole day and go to sleep at night, but unless you have something to keep you busy all day, you'll fade at some point. I've also just gone to bed, but only slept for maybe 4 hours, and then try to sleep at night. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it might take 3 or 4 days to get your sleep schedule back to normal.

[stealthee]

I've worked all sorts of shifts. My preference is day, then midnight, then lastly afternoon. Day shift just makes sense. With midnight you work while others sleep, and sleep while others work. Afternoon shift sucks. You work during the afternoon/evening, then get home and you don't want to sleep right away. You need to wind down and by the time you do it is 5, 6, or 7am. You finally fall asleep and you wake up just in time to get ready to leave for work. You can never get anything accomplished.

[93STLTH]

Exactly Brian, I'm the same way. I get less free time and less time to accomplish anything when I'm on the evening shift.

[mb3000]

I've worked all sorts of shifts. My preference is day, then midnight, then lastly afternoon. Day shift just makes sense. With midnight you work while others sleep, and sleep while others work. Afternoon shift sucks. You work during the afternoon/evening, then get home and you don't want to sleep right away. You need to wind down and by the time you do it is 5, 6, or 7am. You finally fall asleep and you wake up just in time to get ready to leave for work. You can never get anything accomplished.

This!

[donniekak]

Lots of places pay a shift differential. I've seen people make 15-20% more at night. I've also seen overtime holiday midnights pay time and 1/2+ shift diff, + $10 an hour.

[stealthee]

Usually shift differential is better for afternoon than it is for day. I have seen places offer .50 more an hour for midnight $1 more an hour for afternoon. Place I got called about was a 5% shift differential for afternoon. If I had been offered that job I would have taken it, regardless of my feelings of afternoon because the pay would have been about 75% more than I make right now.

[donniekak]

My wife is an rn, they only have 2 shifts. At UPMC midnight shift diff was $.50. Back here in Arizona it's almost $9.00. The base pay is also much higher here. I have no idea why Pennsylvania pays nothing to rn's. All of the labor unions pay journeymen more than many "professional" careers. Guess that's what happens in a union stronghold state. I worked out of the ibew 1919 and was amazed at the nothingness we had to complete to make good money.