To find this shift pattern brutal?

[3on3off]

Three days on, three days off. 12 hour shifts (7-7), alternating between days and nights every fortnight. No flexibility as everyone in the department does the same shift pattern.

It's only been a few months and I feel completely exhausted by it. I'm grateful to have a job but completely exhausted. Work days I feel like a zombie, I come home eat and go straight to bed. I miss having down time in the evenings and time to relax. I miss so much by having to work weekends pretty often. I missed the entire Easter weekend, multiple Bank Holiday weekends and I'm working Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day as my leave requests have already been rejected.

The department has been having issues with poor staff retention. All my colleagues are drained by the shift pattern.

AIBU to think this shift pattern is actually difficult and I'm not just being whiny (as family members who work a Monday-Friday 9-5 tell me I am being ).

The alternating between days and nights every two weeks alone is brutal. I have done this before too with 12 hour shifts and I think it would have been easier to cope with had it been permanent days or permanent nights, so that at least you could get into some sort of a routine.

It is brutal, we do 4 on and 4 off, 5 till 5. The four days off keeps me going, if it wasn’t for that I would not do it.

@Brefugee

One shift I found I finish at midnight and next day in for 7am. Was like wtf grin think duties have got my shifts wrong hahaha.

this is worrying. I thought that even in the UK there were rules about rest periods between shifts?

Yes it's wrong as in an error. It's illegal in UK but I know its an error so no worries. Just found it funny I might be expected to turn up at 7

It does sound very hard and I couldn't do nights regularly. But I wonder if the 9-5ers who say you're moaning actually do 9-5?
I used to have a classic day job but the expectation was that I was there before 8 and I never left my desk before 7. Plus the commute on top of that. So having three days followed by three days rest sounds easier to me than the five day week of my old hours. I never die anything at the weekend as it took me both days to recover

I worked “short shifts” from 7:30 until anywhere between 5pm to 6:30pm four days a week for about 9 years. I then switched after my kids were born to 12 hour day/night/weekend shifts three days a week with a week of four and lasted 2.5 years on those. I then kept the same shifts but went to two shifts a week and i’ve just left and started in a new dept as I can’t hack those either.

Shift work is utterly brutal, add in nights and in my opinion it’s utter hell. I was mentally and physically drained, not to mention I barely seen my kids when full time. When I went part time it took me days to get over shifts and although I thought things were okay, looking back they really werent.

Normal 6 on 6 off
Sometimes 3 on, 3 off, then 9 on

Pre covid, great opportunities to do exciting things on the days off

Taking a couple of shifts off, allows a month off for holidays, hobbies

The days off, makes up for the long shifts

I work completely Random 12 hour shifts. I must admit that I quite like it. Although it is tiring. Would never want to work Monday to Friday 9-5.

Yes it’s brutal OP. I don’t think it would be so bad f you did all nights or all days but to try and suddenly stay awake all night and then have to switch sounds exhausting.

Get job hunting

I managed these shifts when I was in my late 20’s, single and living alone. Terribly isolating though. Can’t imagine doing them in my 40s and 50s while being married with kids.

@thebakeoffwasntasgoodthisyear

I find people who don’t work nights have a poor understanding of how exhausting it is. In the past a few people have been amused or surprised that I need to sleep during the day, after a night shift!

I worked 12 hour nights for years.

I was always asked if I’d “had a nice nap” when I could only have 4 hours in between shifts because of looking after children etc.

I’d often get told how lucky I was to work “part time” as well as it was only three nights. It was 36 hours a week, and that was without the unpaid handovers/waiting for other staff which actually made it 13 hour shifts.

@Alexapissoff how the hell did you manage to look after children!! I wouldn't have been able to function.

[quote userxx]@Alexapissoff how the hell did you manage to look after children!! I wouldn't have been able to function. [/quote]
It was hell to be honest. I drank so much red bull I can’t believe I’m still standing.

It was “easier” when the littlest started reception, the I had the luxury of “napping” from 10-2:30. School holidays I worked one night on, one night off as I just couldn’t sleep.

I mean I got home at 9am after the commute but you can’t just fall into bed and fall asleep like everyone assumes - I’d usually don’t the past 12 hours being spat at, doing personal care so needed to shower and eat

People used to tell me to send them to a childminder - totally missing the point that I worked nights as childcare was too expensive.

This is why I refuse to do shifts. It messes with your body, most can't cope with it either and it's very tiring. In some jobs as well, it's a killer to your career, you'll go nowhere being on shifts despite what they tell you.

As others have said its the switching from days to nights and back again which is the killer.

Years ago in the NHS there were staff contracted for days or nights and internal rotation wasn't a thing. Quite a few people with school age children opted for permanent nights because it worked better for them. The nights paid more so they were able to reduce their hours whilst maintaining (or close to) their income and paid less for childcare. It worked well, there were enough people choosing night shifts to provide cover and those who really couldn't cope with them were not forced into doing them. Concerns about training for permanent night staff prompted a change to internal rotation. The concerns were supported by research but no alternative solutions were considered.

I did quite a bit of research into shift patterns when the NHS decided the daytime handover between shifts was an expense they could no longer afford and we ended up switching to 12 hour shifts. The research into shift worked clearly demonstrates long term health consequences but the biggest factor which influenced how well people tolerated them was their ability to self select their shift pattern; the inflexibility of your current pattern is working against staff giving their best.

Shifts need to be covered so it's not possible for everyone to have what they want all the time and most people are mature enough to grasp that but individuals will know which pattern of working is best for them. Would you be prepared to do some research into it and present a proposal for a different way of working. I would hope your managers would be receptive if they are having problems with staff retention.

Ugh. We did 12 hour shifts until a couple of years ago. 2 days, 2 nights, then 4 off. That was a killer.

New pattern was then 7-4 x2 unless a weekend then it was 7-1700. Lates started any time between 1130 or 1300 until 2200 and nights 2200-0700 2 of each then 4 off, but the first rest day was after nights, so not really a rest day.

I got fed up, so when back in the 'office' after lockdown I changed dept. So now it's just 3 earlies 8-4, lates 2-2200 and off for 3. So much better and I feel like I have a life again. Even if I am back in uniform.

Years ago (am talking 99-2001I worked nights in a bakery, it was paid by the hour and if I wanted a day off I just wouldn't get paid so was working 6 nights a week most of the time and it does take it out of you.

When I stopped the nightshits to go back to a regular job it was difficult because my body clock had got used to working nights,took about 6 months for me to readjust, i would never do nightshifts again

You can't be expected to work all of Christmas and New Year. I am an NHS worker too. Your manager is taking the p... Have you challenged this decision? If you already have, go higher. Do not accept this. I am speaking as someone with 34 years experience in NHS. If you use electronic roaring this can still be challenged. Shout out. Go to the union if you have to. I've put up with a lot over the years but that is ridiculous.

Roaring!!

Rota 😂 it would make me roar though.

When I stopped the nightshits to go back to a regular job it was difficult because my body clock had got used to working nights,took about 6 months for me to readjust, i would never do nightshifts again"

That typo reminded me of a time I emailed a consultant about their junior doctors' 'partial shits'. Glad you've recovered from the nightshits now