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Shift Work


Scary Bear

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I work in hotel bar, zero-hour contract, but I work five days a week. Very rarely get put on mornings but that would be 7-3. My most regular shifts are 3-11 or 5-close, which is normally 1, but could be up to 4 on weekends. I also have the option to top up and work functions, and during the festive period there's normally one on every night Thursday-Sunday, so it's easy to get more hours if I want to work on my days off. I don't normally bother.

This isn't my ideal, it's not what I want to be doing my whole life, but the thought of working 9-5 Mon-Fri simply bores me to tears, especially in an office environment. It's maybe better as a functioning adult with responsibilities but I'm content floating about and waking up at 2pm right now.

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I work for the largest general insurer in the country as a household claims handler. I work 35 hours a week (although the contact is annualised hours), 3 8 hour shifts (1hr lunch), one 9hr and one 6hr. 2 weeks from 3 the 6hr shift is a late shift (either 8 or 9 finish), and I work 1 day every second weekend (I always manage to make it the Sunday so I can ref football on a Saturday). The weekend shift is always an 8-4 or 9-5.

I'm desperate to get on to Monday-Friday, no chance in my current role though.

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In my 60's now, but when I was in my teens/early twenties I did a couple of shift work jobs.

 
1. Labouring in a paper mill, 3 shift system, 8 hours, rotating through each on a weekly basis.
    The night shifts were a bit scary. Outside in freezing winter nights, 20+ feet up on a swaying pulp stack,
    hooking up bales of pulp to an overhead crane. Bales occasionally bursting. 
    Things you do when you're young.
 
2. Corporation Transport buses in Glasgow. 21 years old. 
    3 shift system. Early, late, and split. 
 
    Early was the best. Out of bed around 05.00 as I recall. Get to work.
    An hour or so of quiet driving before the morning rush. Then 2 hours of rush, then 
    looking forward to early afternoon finish.
 
    Late was OK too, except Friday & Saturday nights from the centre of Glasgow out to the schemes.
    I drove, among others, the 37 route to Castlemilk. I'd often arrive at Glasgow Cross a few minutes 
     after chucking out time. Everyone would pile on, about half a dozen people would pay. Everyone else
     was so pissed, it was impossible. Drive virtually non-stop to Castlemik, bus flat to its axles with the load. 
 
     Late shift would finish around 11pm. With another hour before the night buses came on at midnight, I'd generally
     walk the 2 miles to my scruffy bedsit in Mount Florida. I quite enjoyed that, enabled me to wind down. 
 
    Split shift. The worst. Day ruined. A few hours on to catch the rushes, with a couple of hours off at various 
    points during the day. Mid-evening finish.  
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NHS, 48 hour 'average' contract. Usually 10 hour days 0800-1800. But 1 in 4.5 on call so one day a week usually 0800-2030, then weekends are 0800-2030 Fri-Sun. Nights the reverse, 2000-0830. Usually get a day or two off before and after.

Rota doesn't roll, so can get a load of nights or lates or weekends bunched together followed by a few weeks of normal days with the of late. Only work seven days in a row at any point though.

Get half days every now and again to balance out the hours so it isn't illegal. Cheers, EWTD.

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Worked 9 to 5 for the first half of my working life and have done shifts for many years now. Would hate to go back to 9 to 5 now. The odd 'normal' shift I do get now is absolutely tedious.

The only issue I have is the amount of games I have to miss, but in the grand scheme of things it's not a major issue.

 

Also the difference in cash makes all the difference

 

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Easier to list my days off! I start this tuesday night, day off next Wednesday, then day off next again Thursday, then off next again Friday till Tuesday and repeat every 4 weeks.... mixture of early, back and night shifts. 

Shifts have both advantages and disadvantages, getting time off when you really need it can be the worst of it.

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