Shifts rotating like a funfair ride

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Just a quick question for everyone.

If you work rotating shifts - that is, you work one shift for a period, then switch to a different shift, then cycle back (possibly via a third shift etc) to the original hours, what's the length of time between switches?

At work, we're currently running on a one-week changeover, with an ABCABD shift pattern (six-week cycle). My concern is that having to change our sleeping patterns every week is not good for health, morale, or consistency in after-work activities. It seems to generate a kind of continual low-level jetlag.

I'm toying with suggesting that the shift changes be lengthened to six or twelve weeks (or three calendar months), so that we get time to adjust before we have to reset our alarm clocks yet again. Management is reasonably flexible on such things as long as the hours are covered somehow - we've changed a couple of times in the past few years.

However, to agitate effectively for extending the period between shift switches, I'm going to need some good, solid arguments (or better, evidence) on my side.

Does anyone know where I can get some corroborating information, or does your workplace already use long rotation periods?

Comments

[indigo-max.livejournal.com]

I think I would suggest 6 week cycles. I believe police and fire departments usually run this kind of scheme in doing rotations of shifts.

Max...

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

When I was still on rotating shifts, it was a 12-week rotation, with 6 weeks of days, 2 weeks of evenings, 2 weeks of overnights and another 2 weeks of evenings.

The middle of the days and overnights gave a 6 day scheduled vacation (We worked 4d x 10h weeks, with the excption of one week of 5x8 monday-friday). Weekends were 3 days normally, with either saturday or sunday off, except coming or going from the 5x8, which gave a 1 day weekend.

This worked pretty well

[ozdeadmeat.livejournal.com]

I dont see why they just dont get people to take on one type of shift the entire time? I mean lets face it. Its not like i work 9am-5pm then 5pm-9am the next week. Its stupid in my opinion. If they want someone to work late night they should pay them alittle extra. And vice versa for someone working days.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

I agree. That's why I'm on grave shift from now until the end of time.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

The thing that you are feeling is a disturbance of your melatonin production. Your pineal gland produces melatonin, and it is triggered by the light levels. Melatonin plays a part in nearly every part of your body functions, so when disturbed you feel like shit. That's my layman's description. Cos I'm a layman.

I'd go with the health argument.

[taleya.livejournal.com]

ugh, sounds like my workplace...over the years they've changed from a 4 week roster to a 5, then 6, then 7 I think that's what they've got the majority of the HD on now. Poor bastards. Thank CHRIST I moved to Graveyard.

The worst shift back when I was rotating (before I became NSR and got a static shift) was a week of 3:30 (now 3) pm to 11pm shifts.......then BAM, next week it was 8am to 3:30 (now 4) pm.

as a natural nightowl, and facing almost 2 hours travel time to work, THAT one fucked me up hardcore

*twitch*

[katyism.livejournal.com]

The last place I worked that did rotating shift had a totally unreasonable length of time between switches. As in, not even one full day. I was on morning shift, home for afternoon shift, then in for overnight shift that night. Then when I went off overnight shift the next morning, I'd get the afternoon off, go in for the afternoon shift, and go home for the overnight shift, and come back for early morning shift. And then go home for afternoon and come on for the late shift. For a month. There were a few full days they were able to give me off, but not many. In general every day I had about six hours to myself between getting off work, trying to eat, sleep, and run daily errands, and go back to work for 8 more hours.

I guess that wasn't so much rotating shifts, as random shifts, heh. Because I was the only person who needed the hours that badly at this horribly understaffed gas station. Yay for new job.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

That hasn't been an option for some time. Mainly because more people wanted one shift than another, and if management said "tough, you're on shift X and your buddy is on shift Y which more people like", they would get whined at - "but it's not fair!" - and the union would get involved and everything would get messy. With the current system, everyone has to do every shift in every six-week period. Technically and legally fair, but in practice it's a strain on us mere biologicals.

Personally, I would prefer a permanent or semi-permanent shift. I'm not even fussy about which one - I'll gladly stick my hand up for the most unpopular. But seeing as how there's a lot of skittishness at the higher levels about perceptions of unequal treatment, the best I can do is try and reduce the impact of continual shift change. Stretching the cycle from six weeks to six or eighteen months would keep the "equal treatment" part of the cycle policy intact while cutting back on the most jarring aspect.

[ozdeadmeat.livejournal.com]

yeah, reduction in change but still change would be better than the shit that is currently available.

[prozacnation.livejournal.com]

Ours are rotated every 3 months

We bid for our shifts too and it's based on rank and seniority.

[tjernobyl.livejournal.com]

We did 3 weeks days, 1 week evenings, 1 week midnights, then 1 week evenings. 3 weeks of a regular life and 3 of it being a bit odd...

Right now, I'm stuck doing weekends for another month till I can wrangle a transfer. Working straight evenings would drive me batty, and actually led me to quit my previous job.