To think this is a pretty brutal shift pattern?

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

I work five shifts in seven, 8.5 hour days. Sometimes my days off are together, sometimes they arent. An early is 7.30-4, a late is 2.30-11. Its the leisure trade and we are exempt from the Working Time Directive, and as such, at least once a week, if not twice, a Late will be followed by an Early. I and everyone who does the hates them but they are a necessary evil.

What I am questioning, is whether it is unreasonable to think it is unfair that I am in on an eight day stint? My next day off is a week tomorrow.

My bosses response is I have had four days off together ending Sunday gone. So? I should now forgo a day off for eight shifts? Especially as she knows I dont mind having split days off (one day off, back on shift then another day off later in the week).

I have a 2.5yo little girl, so every late shift is followed by an early start. I am also 16 weeks pregnant.

When I returned to work after having DD I made no requests for set hours,reduced hours, compressed hours etc, I simply returned as I was doing before I had her. Everyone else who has young children has made and been granted flexible working requests. I feel daft not having made a request when I could.

It is also making me seriously consider what to do when this LO arroves.

So....I digress....AIBU to think my eight shifts in a row, a mixture of lates and earlies, is totally unreasonable?

Sorry for the essay!

I sympathise, its he same in the nhs. I can do 10 days in a row easily. Late earlies are common, split nights with day shifts in the middle.

Make the request if others have.

I'm having a hard time getting my head around the working pattern described, but I guess how reasonable or not it is would largely depend on how common working 8 shifts in a row is and whether your colleagues are expected to do this as frequently as you.

But, as for the flexible working - you've not missed out on requesting this just because you didn't do it when you finished your first maternity leave. AFAIK, you can appply at any time, although you're limited to one flexible working request per year. Whether you feel it's worth looking into that before your next maternity leave is another matter, of course.

flexible working guidelines overview

mmmm I think the problem is that if everyone is making and being granted flexible working, you inevitably end up with some rubbish shift patterns. Is there any reason why you cant put in a flexible work request now?

Yup - you have a statutory right to have a flexible working request considered just the same as everyone else, regardless of whether you feel you should have done so earlier. Their precedent makes it hard for the employer to turn you down too.

Like Viva I have done 10 day stretch - not nice, it got to the point that I was requesting my days off (as I can ) not because I wanted the specific but more to ensure some splits, and at to get the odd weekend

Working an eight day stint is rare, and usually follows some time off. It is not necessary though. Our week starts on a friday so
Friday gone - off
Saturday gone - off
Sunday gone - off
Therefore to make up my shifts I then had to be in mon-thurs (totally fine)
the week that follows I am also in fri, sat, sun and mon, days off being tues and wed. Back in for thurs.

Would it have been so hard to give friday or saturday as a rest day?

How is the leisure trade exempt from the European Working Time Directive? That one must have passed me by.

Exempt in as such as we have less than eight hours between shifts and no right to complain - it is expected within our trade. Our contravt states that within a seven day week, reasonable time off is given (to make up for the lack of time between shifts)

I dont feel like I am currently getting that.

When I worked early and lates as a nurse I did shifts like that all the time. It was just normal, exhausting though.

I think it's pretty normal in some places. My DP is in retail and often does 10 day stints - not saying it's nice though.

I once did 20 days, 12 hr shifts without a day off and it was AWFUL.

I used to do shifts like this when i worked in a care home

They are horrible

No, it is brutal. I'm in a similar position shift wise ( hospitality industry). I might be on an AFD (all fucking day) from 10Am till 1.30am and then back in the next day to do it all again. It is impossible to sort your sleep pattern out, plus after the buzz of a sunny day with people three deep at the bar for ten hours straight you have to have a little bit of wind down time when you get in regardless of the time.
I have just had a week of one in one Off and I am shattered.
It wouldn't be so bad if days or hours were set, I think.
I sympathise, anyway, and agree you should make the request. IME its quite easy to be tipped over the edge when you're working that sort of shift pattern. Better to pre-empt it if you can.
All the best x

I supppose. Its just not nice going into this knowing itll be eight days before a day off with dd, and am shattered anyways (though thankfully morning sickness has gone so that has perked me up!)

When I was a nurse the shifts fell every other week that I worked till 10.20pm on saturday night and had to be back at work for 6.10am the following morning. It was known as 'quick change-over'. The other weekend was finish at 2pm and not have to be back on Sunday till 1pm... 'long change-over'.

A million years ago I used to work for McDonalds, whose shift patterns vary, but the amount of times I'd do a close (3pm til everything was done and ready for the next day, often 1-2 am.) and then a 10 -6 the next day and an open the following day (in by 6am latest to set up the store and work til 3 at the earliest) was ridiculous.
They'd also split days off, so you'd do a close, day off, open. This meant your day off was actually only 15- 16 hours off. By the time you'd travelled too and from work more like 14...and of course you had to fit in two 'nights' sleep...It kills your life working I like that, and your health. Your body clock becomes buggered.
They we're complete bastards, and I hated working there, and I didn't have kids. I don't know how anyone who does shifts with kids manages, but you have my sympathies.

Sorry, loads of errors in spelling there and meant were instead of we're.

It's swings and roundabouts as I see it. There are not many jobs where you get four days off in a row without taking holiday. I say this as I start a stint of 19 days on tomorrow including 8 of those being 24 hours on call. There are other times where my shift pattern is great and a full time week is one 24 hour stint, one 10 to 6 and one 8.30 to 1.

I work in leisure too, the shifts I do are horrible. Earlies start at 5.30am and lates finish 11.30pm but sometimes not out till midnight. My days off are rarely together and usually between a late and an early so I can't do anything on my day off either.

Has your employer done a risk assessment since you announced your pregnancy (you have told them haven't you?)

I worked in retail and would do a mixture of earlies 6-3, lates 2-11 or normals 9-6
Also worked 5 out of 7 so could go up to 10 days without a day off

My RA said I could not do lates followed by earlies, I could work no more than 6 days in a row and days off should not be preceded by a late finish

In reality what that meant was I would do 3 lates followed by a normal then an early -it was much more conducive to sleep!

I haven't got helpful things to add but I feel for you. I used to do shifts from 5pm to 4am, a few hours sleep then 9am to 5pm then the next day, 5pm-4am and day shift - eventually you stop noticing what is day and what is night. I was doing security so you have to be alert all the time too. We were given a paper to sign to opt us out of the working time directive.

Is there a union where you work? I know that's a bit unlikely, but even a shit one is better than nothing. Or can you trade shifts with a mate? Is your duty manager approachable?

By law you should have 11hrs off between a late shift and an early shift, I know the police adhere to this with their shifts as do local government jobs.
have you got a contract to revert to which has more details??

That shift pattern sucks. My mother had a similiar pattern when she was a nurse working for the NHS. She left because it was impossible for her to arrange childcare.

I like the system here in the US where everyone gets a shift and you have to apply to change it. Very few places have employees on rotating shifts like they do in the UK because employees don't stay.

I work in care, and go 10 days at work if I get an elusive weekend off ( rarely happens so it's usually say a mon-tues I'm off then the following mon Tuesday off)
Everyday I work I start at. 7 am and finish at 10 or 10.30 pm with a 2.5 hour gap either early afternoon or early evening. It's brutal.

Very rarely I get a 7am-6pm day but I'm more likey to be asked to work an extra day to cover someone then finish early.
Luckily I love my job.
But they wonder why all the decent carers don't stick around

Typical hospitality shifts- I used to do splits 5/6 days a week- so 6am-2pm then 5-close (close being anything from 10pm to 3am if we had a wedding etc)

Now I work continentals in manufacturing- so do days and nights, typically 3 on 3 off working alternate weekends, 12hr shifts.

I don't have a body clock- I sleep whenever, and have days where I will sleep for a good 16-20 hours to recharge.