Shifts

Were you ever a "Shift Worker", did you do Double Days, and overtime, could todays kids handle that?

Re: Shifts

Lucky for me I was a day worker , though at one time I was doing 3 jobs . My son is an airline steward working through days and nights , he says it messes with his system and sleeping all different hours not good , though after 20 yrs he's used to it . I worked voluntary as a listener for a few years and had to do a night shift every couple of weeks , I found it difficult for a day or two afterwards , I felt like I was upside down .

Re: Shifts

I worked rotating shifts just about the whole of my working life. The best was when we went from 8 hour shifts (where doublers were common) to 12 hour shifts. 12 Hour shifts were excellent once you got used to them - 8 hours into my first 12 hour night shift I felt as if I had been there for the whole of my life.

As for today's kids? well, they still do these shifts so presumably they can cope.

Re: Shifts

When I left school in 69 I went straight into British Steel 6 till 2 then 2 till 10 I was not allowed to work nights you had to be 18. The only time I worked office hours was one week in 4 when I went to college to learn about furnaces/rolling mills/coke ovens and mixtures for various metals. Then when I was made redundant straight into Smith Dock shipyard and shifts again.
Could the youngsters of today work shifts like we did,I think so if trained right and have it in themselves..
But then again how many jobs have shift work these days.
Nurses/Police/Fire Brigade and the Forces.
All jobs that are being cut by government so hardly any openings there.
With the supermarkets and fast food chains opening 24 hrs I suppose there is shift work there.But a lot of those jobs around here are filled mostly with students and they only start advertising when they go back to uni.

Re: Shifts

I've done nights and split shifts 4am to 8am and 6pm to 9pm I preffered the nights !

But in fairness both meant I was able to be carer for various elderly members of the family, if I'd worker days I couldn't have coped.

Re: Shifts

I think the longest hours I worked on a regular basis was as a trainee manager for a supermarket

Opening up at 5.30 ( long before 24/7 shopping) meant to finish at 2:30pm, and finding out the shop was short staffed so having to stay on till at least 10:30pm, to get home, eat, sleep and repeat.

Hard hard hours. Well paid ( as a single female ) but two years and burn out ( females back in the day were the last for promotion )

Re: Shifts

Permanent night shifts must be awful, as night becomes day ...and visa versa.

Re: Shifts

I did shifts in my early 20s, 7-3. 3-11 11-7 and I hated every moment, I was constantly tired, the people I worked with said how much free time they had especially on nights, they would get home, go to bed for a few hours and then get up and do stuff, but I tried that and didn't know if I was on this earth or fullers, hated 3to 11 especially in the summer when I could have been sat in a lovely beer garden instead of being at work, I eventually found a regular day job , I would never do shifts again, I read its not good for you anyway, and can lead to all sorts of health problems.

Re: Shifts

We used to do, twelve hours, Monday to Friday, and an eight hour shift Saturday and Sunday, so the kids had one parent at home, parenting. Not sure the kids got the message.

Re: Shifts

I worked 2 jobs when I was engaged to Sue , the main job and working with a mate on car servicing and repair in the evenings. Very long days getting home late at night. to give some idea I was getting about £15 a week main job and various amounts P/T plus Sues salery.
In 18 months we saved £1500 for a deposit on a house costing £7,450. Didn't go anywhere just scrimped and saved like mad every day. If I said the hours per day I was putting in you would not believe me.
Even when I was 15 doing an apprenticeship a 5 day 60 hour week was normal on sites