3 Shift Rotation

I'm on a 10 week roster which often includes work of 7 or 8 days straight with just one day off to adjust to another pattern.

From Sunday i'm on 0630-1430 until Friday, then back in Tuesday on 2300-0700 for seven days straight where I get one rest day and then on 1400-2200 for four days, no rest day then 1830-0200 for four days then another rest day.

Seven nights of nights is awful. That one rest day before going on 1400 is pretty much wasted as you finish 0700 that morning.. It's weird.
 
David_VI said:
I'm on a 10 week roster which often includes work of 7 or 8 days straight with just one day off to adjust to another pattern.

From Sunday i'm on 0630-1430 until Friday, then back in Tuesday on 2300-0700 for seven days straight where I get one rest day and then on 1400-2200 for four days, no rest day then 1830-0200 for four days then another rest day.

Seven nights of nights is awful. That one rest day before going on 1400 is pretty much wasted as you finish 0700 that morning.. It's weird.
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Unless you've opted out of the Working Time Regulations that shift pattern as you have described it is illegal.
 
I used to work a three shift pattern on weekly rotation, it was truly awful.
It caused me to become actually depressed because I wasn't sleeping and hardly ever got to see people.

Never again.
 
DirtyJester said:
I actually work two 12hr dayshifts followed by two 12hr nightshifts then four days off. Best pattern I've ever worked.

The three on three off was fine for days but terrible for nights. You had 3 days to recover to get back for dayshift, actually felt like 2 days off as first day was wasted sleeping.

4 days of would be better but with your pattern (the voted down version) you're still doing 3 nights, no thanks, gimme 2 alone.
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i do 4 nights as it is lol

it wasnt a change of shift it would either be

3 12 hour days (7am till 7pm)

or

3 12 hour nights 7pm till 7 am


no swapping
 
dannyjo22 said:
It doesn't matter that shift wouldn't have lasted long. We are expecting a regulation change in the length of our nightshifts in aviation. Expect very soon it to be 7-8 hours max per night. You won't be able to do 3x12 hours soon. Ours do 4x9 hours and that's expected to be shortened.
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we're production i doubt it will affect us they've just started shifting the entire 320 jigs onto that pattern.

production is a joke compared to maintenance lol.
 
kinetic747 said:
The reason I can't sleep is due to anxiety. I can't accept the forced nature of the shift pattern change which is even more ridiculous given that the permanent night shift were happy to stay there. If you read up on the negative effects of long term shift work, especially when nights and days are rotated, it amazes me that companies can still force the change. Has anyone on here got a HR background? If so, I would love to hear their comments.
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I would find another job.

Sounds harsh, but there is no way you are going to change it, think of your health and well being and get out into something else.
 
3 shift being Day / Back / Night shifts?

Used to do that...
6 day shifts, 3 days off, 6 back shift, 3 off, 6 night shift, 3 off.

Just slept for an extra 8 hours between shifts and didn't seem to have any issues.
Can always sleep though...

Are your shifts "after" each other in terms of timeframe?
So Day -> Back -> Night
Not Day -> Night -> Back...
If so, not sure what advise I can offer...

If not - See if they can change everyone to Day -> Back -> Night.
As then you just have a long lie once a week or so and start next shift feeling refreshed.
 
5 x 11 hour nights, followed by 5 days off (1st day off you work until 6am) then 5 x 12 hour days followed by 5 days off (go to work on nights on the 6th day).

Takes me the whole 5 days to get over nights, and im generally not quite myself on those days. I don't tend to do too many 'involved' jobs, at home, on my days off after nights; I don't trust myself. I also never drink alcohol after a night shift, for any of the 5 days.
Been doing it for near on 10 years, it was a lot easier when I was younger.

There is no disputing it, its not healthy or good for your body to work nights, even permanent nights. We have a handful of guys who still do permanent nights and several of them have had serious heart problems.
 
Mine is 3 12 hour nights and then 4 days off, 3 12hour days and then 4 days off, then I do 2 nights, Sunday and Monday and then Thursday and half day Friday, 4 days off, works for me.

I used to do 6-2 2-12 Monday to Friday and I hated it, early shift was great but 2-12 is a killer, no time to yourself and a waste of a week.
 
AndyT said:
Not reasons unknown then is it? Perhaps the management have decided this change is required to grow and strengthen the business that employ you?
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The number of productive hours is exactly the same, they have just replaced the permanent night shift with a rotating pattern. In our department alone production has actually fallen since the change and on the notice board last night a graph has appeared showing absenteeism is running at over 5% target is 2%. Quite an amazing growth strategy. I have no problem whatsoever with anyone who wants to work rotating shifts. Some do it for the money and for some it matches their personal circumstances but 75% did not want this change so I fail to see how that makes sound business sense. I'm going to see HR to see if anything can be done, there are a few positions working a 2 shift pattern but understandably they don't want to move.
 
I used to do 3 different shifts that that changed every week (early, late and nights). Felt awful and would never do it again. Also noticed the people who had been doing it a lond time all looked unhealthy.
 
I'd love to work permanent nights, loved night shifts, it really suited my natural pattern.

Over the years I've worked:

Alternate weeks of days and afters
Alternate 2 weeks of days, 2 weeks of nights (start and finish early on a Friday so you could come in for Sat morning)
Alternate days/weeks/nights
Two 12h shifts, two off.

Currently working regular days of varying hours, sometimes it's a 0430 get up sometimes it's 0730, non fixed hours, we work until job is done or we've done 10 hours.

Worst job was working for Toyota, ****ing horrible company and place to work.
 
AndyT said:
Not reasons unknown then is it? Perhaps the management have decided this change is required to grow and strengthen the business that employ you?
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Sadly these days its more likely someone throwing darts at a board and seeing what ideas they hit :S

More likely someone trying to pursue a highly idealistic ideal of how the business should work - at the detriment of everyone - rather than putting efforts into the workable even if not 100% ideal alternative that would work for every body.
 
Rroff said:
Sadly these days its more likely someone throwing darts at a board and seeing what ideas they hit :S

More likely someone trying to pursue a highly idealistic ideal of how the business should work - at the detriment of everyone - rather than putting efforts into the workable even if not 100% ideal alternative that would work for every body.
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Couldn't have put it better myself. :)
 
Just a quick update on this after finally organizing a meeting with HR. I did have a Union representative with me purely as a witness, I asked them not to intervene. I opened by asking a double edged question "Is the company aware of the health risks associated with a rotating days/nights shift pattern? If so, why has it been forced on us against the will of the overwhelming majority? If you are unaware then I respectfully ask why not?" This seemed to raise the witches hackles a bit but she proceeded to rattle off a couple of reasons for the removal of the permanent night shift, the main one being that the department manager was unhappy that they were missing out on essential team briefs, H&S updates etc. I then asked her if she knew how many such team briefs had taken place since the introduction of the rotation almost 12 months ago. As I suspected she had no idea but I was happy to inform her that in fact we have had the grand total of zero. I was even more happy to inform her that the companies Operating Excellence handbook suggests that team briefs should be held on a regular basis, ideally once every 3 weeks, this reddened her face a bit more. I am in no doubt that my card is marked now but I don't care, the management here sucks and I think it's time to move on after almost 5 years. I have been promised another meeting but general opinion on the shop floor is that there is no chance of this being reversed and I knew that was the case. I do feel a lot better though for actually speaking to one of these faceless people and making them realise that we aren't all just robots and their decisions can have a massive impact on the quality of peoples lives.
 
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