does anyone work permanent nights

[anothernotherone]

I'm tempted to apply. It's the same job (technically) I do now in a non frontline healthcare job, although the work and client group would be different.

Atm I do almost all shifts - often late 14:00-22:00 followed by an "on call on site" night where I'm physically at work but only paid for two nighttime hours unless I have to spend more than two hours working during the night, and can sleep in a bed in the office, followed by the short early shift 6-10. I also work daytime shifts, normally only at weekends but atm die to lockdown more often.

I'm thinking I'd rather do waking nights (no other shifts) and be paid for ten and a half hours rather than getting a few hours poor quality sleep at work during essentially a 20 hour shift with a sleep break.

I've seen a suitable permanent nights job advertised.

There are other reasons I think nights might suit me.

I'm aware nights are often busy and not usually a chance to read a book, though there are lulls.

Does anyone do permanent nights? Does it suit you? What do you like and dislike? What did you say at interview when explaining why you wanted to do permanent nights?

Not me..friends son in a factory. I don’t know how he’s done it for almost 4 years.
Young single man with no social life whatsoever.
It is Groundhog Day for him. Works , sleeps Eats , works, sleeps eats works ad infinitum.
I think it’s inhumane. He has the weekend off .
I know your situation is different
My son had a security job where he had to keep the phone but didn’t get paid for it for his sleeping hours.
One time he switched it off as he was exhausted. He got sacked.
He’s now working in care and loves it and they are all day time shifts.
He feels like he’s being paid to enjoy himself.

I'd only do 2 or 3 nights per week (they're 12 hours). Night contracts are 36 hours full time by the look of the advert. They're looking for someone to do either 24 or 36 hours per week.

I used to do 3/4 nights at a care home when my son was young, it was hard work but you do get used to them. As long as you can set yourself a proper routine you should be okay, I'm planning going back nightshift after my maternity is over I work in a hospital.

On permanent nights you need to stay on that pattern all the time - it's difficult to switch back onto days when you're off. So it can make socialising difficult. You also don't sleep as well during the day as you'll be interrupted by the doorbell etc. You can put notes up saying you're a night worker, but that is just advertising that you're in so some couriers will see it as a challenge to wake you up

I'm pretty good at sleeping in the day if I'm honest. I'm sometimes so tired after a late-oncall on site - early that I sleep in the day anyway... My sleep pattern is already variable due to sometimes having to get up at 5am and sometimes working lates... and sometimes technically finishing at 10pm but being unable to go to bed until 11:30 and then having to get up again because someone has a fit or pain or is causing trouble, then having to get up to do the early at 5am anyway...

I wouldn't want to sick to staying up all night 7 nights for 2-3 night shifts a week though. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have to - I can usually sleep anytime as long as I can lie down. I had a baby who woke every 45 minutes for 3 years so I know I can sleep like a cat does... Is that naive?

I work 3 12 1/2 nights a week in a care home. I swapped with another senior carer, it suits me as i have older kids. It was hard at 1st, sleep pattern remains shit but carry on. Ive been on 2 weeks annual leave and it is going to be hard to get back into the swing of things.

vodkaredbullgirl I also have older kids. How long have you been doing nights for?

I'm retired now, but yes I did permanent nights for 15 years before that. You don't have any social life to speak of, but other than that I loved it. It was a highly desirable shift and people were always keen to take it on when someone left or retired. It's great because you only do that one shift - you get used to it and it's a pretty quiet shift too, so it's stress-free. I was good at sleeping in the day, so it worked out really well. Good luck !

Ive been doing nights for 2 years now, I work with dementia and kept very busy at night.

stellabelle thats what I was hoping. In all honesty I don't socialise much anyway! I did so much of that in my 20s and 30s I don't feel the need any more

I must admit annoyance with a couple of my colleagues and shifts being longer and more erratic/ varied time wise than ever during lockdown is a negative factor encouraging me to consider this, but there are positive pulls too!

I loved working only nights. I used to do 7pm to 7:30am.

A routine is essential, it also depends if you can sleep at the drop of a hat. I was lucky and was able to sleep the moment I laid down but many of my colleagues struggled to sleep during the day.

I'd jump at that if you think it's a good fit for you, if only for the better consistency. I live with two permanent night workers (spouse and lodger-friend). One sleeps roughly 8am-3pmish, the other sleeps roughly noonish to 8pm and they keep to that pretty well. It took both of them a good few months to get used to both being on that shift and not being all over the place as they had been before, getting into a good sleeping pattern for them, and the little niggles like when to do things like appointments that are 9-5ish or what to do at night that won't bother the rest of the house (it is very awkward trying to do any DIY in this house, at times it feels like there is always someone sleeping or at least trying to...).

My spouse has done only nights for over 6 years and loves it. Before the lockdown, he was discussing moving to a different site as any further career progression where he is involves moving to days which he doesn't want to do at all and if unavoidable, he doesn't want to until the kids are older - he likes that, if there is an emergency is the day, that he's here and can be here for afternoon homework help & making dinner and just likes the routine as things are now with them. He told me that's what he said when interviewed and when his bosses ask about progression - that night shift fits around his family life better and the consistent shift is better for his health/medical conditions.

BiBabbles that sounds good. I think I'd sleep 8-2 as my kids are home by 2 and that leaves a lot of day. As you say incase of illness/ emergency it's good to have one parent home/ able to fetch them and be in the house even if sleeping - mine are old enough only to wake me in an emergency.

You're right fitting around family life is a legitimate explanation for being a good fit for the job. I wonder whether it's more competitive than the same job office hours - those are the gold dust jobs in my line of work usually, unless the workplace has a reputation for bad management.

I've found two possible options and think I'll apply. I'm at work atm and although lates (2pm - 10pm) are fine, it's a killer rolling into night on call then a 5am wake up tomorrow, and then having a day off before a 10-18:30, then another late-on call- early, etc etc. Being here all night but only paid for 2 hours is starting to rankle! I miss lots of full weekends with my kids and wouldn't miss the evening meal with them if I did permanent nights.

A set shift counts for a lot, I've no idea why so many employers insist everyone does mixed shifts. Different shifts suit different people...