Posted by darwinatridge on September 27, 2006 at 10:53:03:In Reply to: Bad-tempered Shiftworker posted by nickle on August 21, 2006 at 21:41:23:
Unfortunatley grumpiness is a part of shift work. I've been working rotating shift for the better part of 27 years now. My wife did not understand why I was so tied all the time until she worked just 2 weeks of it when she was working at Walmart. That was the only time she worked it but it was enough to help her understand that working graveyard sucks. But it is a fact of life for shiftworkers. When I first started working rotating shifts we worked a 3 shift 8 hr day schedule. It started out with 7 days of swing shift and the 7 days of graves and then 7 days of days. We had a total of 7 days off in a 28 day rotation but after a while that just was not enough time to recover from the rotations. We are currently working a 4 on 4 off schedule which is a whole lot better but it is still not the best for family life. Our days advance on a weekly basis and we dod not have every weekend off. We are attempting to convince our company to try a 7 on 7 off schedule but there are those who are opposed to that schedule. Even though this schedule would give us every other weekend off some feel that 7 12 hr days or nights is simply to long. The life of a shift worker is one of compromise. Not just for the worker but for their family. It is harder when you have children. But adjustments have to be made. It is hard on the spouce but it is also hard and dangerous for those who are working these shifts. Weither it is something that makes the job more dangerous or just the ride home in the morning after a long night. When I first started working I was much younger and tried to stay up after getting home from working all night. But that was hard and got harder as I grew older. Now I just simoly shower and go to bed when I get home. Generally I get an average of 6 hrs sleep when I am working graveyard but I find that even if I do somehow get more it is just not enough to get red a that tired feeling. My wife goes out of her way to make sure that I am not disturbed unless it is a dire emergency. I'm sure they have done many studies on the effects of shift work but no matter what it is an adjustment no matter what. And not just for the one working.