This Schedule Sucks (semi-rant)

Blargh!

So we're getting ready to go from 24 hours, 5 Days/week production to 24/7. The plan is four crews each working three 12 hour shift and one 6 hour shift. Supposedly this will last until we get some new equipment around November, but they apparently haven't ordered it yet, so I'm not holding my breath.

Got to thinking about the proposed schedule, and my team and I are getting completely boned. The higher ups were thinking, "This schedule gives each team either Saturday or Sunday off." They did not stop and realize that those of us working 6pm-6am night shift are getting shafted if we get "Sunday" off. That means we would actually be working until 6am on Sunday. berkeley going out and doing anything after that.

So, I proposed an alternative to the schedule. The day crews would stay exactly the same. The night crews would just shift their schedules 24 hours earlier. So, one crew would work Friday night and have off Saturday night and all of Sunday. The other crew would work Saturday night, and have off all of Friday and be able to enjoy a good chunk of Saturday.

My crew that this would make life better for likes the idea. Hooray! We get at least some time off on the weekend. The other crew... not so much. One guy is on board. He's not excited, but he's sympathetic to how badly the current plan would screw us over. The supervisor is really unhappy. He wants to be able to have Sundays to play soccer. The other days, his girlfriend just arranged her work schedule to be able to have her days off coincide with his.

I feel for him but... I want a day off - just one day free - that I can spend with my fiancee. I'd love to be able to also go out and auto-x or go out dancing some evenings, but I will settle to at least have a full 24 hour leisure period with my fiancee. I don't think him getting the couple of things he wants completely outweighs three people getting any of the things they wanted.

Now, with the one guy from the other shift on board, that gives us a 2/3 majority to go to our bosses with. I don't want to step on toes and completely screw up the plans of the guys on the other shift. I just don't want to get completely screwed over. I've offered to let him pick which schedule block he would prefer. Yeah, it means he will either have to give up time playing soccer or some time with his girlfriend, but I don't think three other people should have to sacrifice any hope of doing anything on the weekend for the sake of one person.

Just trying to figure out how to make my life and the lives of the two other guys who will be on my crew suck less while engendering the least bad blood. Maybe I should also mention that I am currently training the guy who wants these concessions so he will be able to take over the supervisor role.

i work a 4 day work week- monday thru thursday nights.. i get friday, saturday, and sunday off..

it rules..

novaderrik wrote: i work a 4 day work week- monday thru thursday nights.. i get friday, saturday, and sunday off.. it rules..

Yep. That would be awesome.

With the current proposed schedule, I would be getting Sunday evening, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning. Not so awesome.

I am trying to get Wednesday evening, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning, or at least Saturday evening, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday morning (these are night shifts, after all).

Sounds like you don't need more equipment, but more people. People that are willing to work weekends and have weekdays off.

You get used to oddball schedules fairly quickly.

For years, I worked "3 on, 3 off". Three consecutive 10 hour day shifts, three days off and then three 14 hour night shifts for a 42 hour week. I got used to working on the weekends and actually grew to enjoy having weekdays off. Everybody thinks you're unemployed, but you never have to wait in line at Home Depot on a Saturday morning like all the other chumps.

A few years ago, we switched to a 24 hour schedule. I was resistant at first, but now I love it. I work 48 hours per week, but I do it in two days. It complicates your life in a bunch of ways, but the tradeoff is worth it.

at least you get scheadules. my work week changes from week to week and day to day. Yesterday was my only day off. Today I work noon to 8, and tomorrow from 7am till 3. After that it is a bunch of 10 to 6s

I wish they'd let me work 3x12s then a cake 4 hour day. This whole 5x8 thing SUCKS.

I've worked the past 2 months straight (ok, there was a 1.5 week break in the very middle when I went on vacation) of 14+ hour days. And I don't get to go home in the evening. Perspective is everything

You get a day off? Must be nice. I work 5:30a to about 3:30p, Monday through Friday. Then come in from about 4a until 9a, or so on Saturday. Sunday, at least another four hours.

Yeah, the OT is nice, but, damn, I'd like a day off.

What mad machine said. In my field we work 3 12 hour shifts a week, and every other weekend. We have no set schedule for which days you work.

My wife has the same kind of schedule. We rarely get an afternoon off together during the week, let alone a full day.

I have had some stints where I worked long hours all week and had to fly to/from on the weekend. Nothing ruins your life like not having time to do things for your self for a few years in a row. Looking back I was a fool to have done it as long as I did.

If you can use them to prop up your resume for the next-big-thing then do it for as long as you can but... any company that runs lean at the expense of everyone isn't a place to hang your hat.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I have had some stints where I worked long hours all week and had to fly to/from on the weekend. Nothing ruins your life like not having time to do things for your self for a few years in a row. Looking back I was a fool to have done it as long as I did. If you can use them to prop up your resume for the next-big-thing then do it for as long as you can but... any company that runs lean at the expense of everyone isn't a place to hang your hat.

Big part of the reason that I am where I am. Probably (no, definitely) could be making more money elsewhere (although after cost of living, it would probably be a wash) but the work life balance here is extremely good. Combine that with the fact that they still have a pension, and I'm very happy.

I've been meaning to ask about doing a 4x10 (they have it here), but fact is that I get home by 5PM every day and have plenty of Mike time.

Worst shift I ever worked was in a steel mill as a laborer. 6 months of 9-5. One week 9am to 5pm, next week, 9pm to 5am. Even at that young age, the body never gets used to it.

I tried to adapt to a nocturnal schedule once; I was doing kitchen prep late night, and bread delivery for the same place early morning.

After I put my hand in a pasta roller and fell asleep at a Tom Waits concert, I decided it just wasn't working for me.

I hope they give you some kind of livable schedule.

Pffft. I am working 4-8's this week with 3-3.5hrs worth of driving each day. Then 1 or 2 days off, only to do another 5 in a row.

If you want a better schedule, do the starting of this on a tuesday, the 2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. It cycles every second week, and in each shift, everyone gets either thursday/friday off or sat-mon off. I worked this schedule for nearly 3 years, its actually quite simple and stops the petty arguing.

Just find a job with more "life" in the work-life balance.

I changed jobs when my business owner wanted to go from M-F to M-Sat. I've worked some weekends, but always either a 4 or 5 day work week.

Haven't looked back, and haven't regretted it. Ran into one of my old co-workers last weekend and she was more miserable than ever.

Obviously the guys from the other shift don't care if you get screwed so why should you care if they get screwed? It sucks being the only guy on the crew that cares about other people huh?

How does an UltimaDork have time to work any shift?

FWIW the glue factory I worked at for 12 years ran that same 3.5 day shift for 7 years. Wednesday was the shut down/maintenance/cleaning day. Every production employee feared it at first but ended up LOVING it and fought like hell when it changed.

One of the perks, at least here in Oregon is that any hour over 10 per day is overtime so they were getting 4 hours of OT for 40 hour weeks.

You might just like it.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I have had some stints where I worked long hours all week and had to fly to/from on the weekend. Nothing ruins your life like not having time to do things for your self for a few years in a row. Looking back I was a fool to have done it as long as I did. If you can use them to prop up your resume for the next-big-thing then do it for as long as you can but... any company that runs lean at the expense of everyone isn't a place to hang your hat.

And SWMBO wonders why I am so prepared to entertain going to a new job. Supposedly this schedule is only temporary... but three weeks ago we were told it would be four months of this... now we are told probably six months... but they don't really know because the new equipment has not been ordered yet.

ditchdigger wrote: FWIW the glue factory I worked at for 12 years ran that same 3.5 day shift for 7 years. Wednesday was the shut down/maintenance/cleaning day. Every production employee feared it at first but ended up LOVING it and fought like hell when it changed. One of the perks, at least here in Oregon is that any hour over 10 per day is overtime so they were getting 4 hours of OT for 40 hour weeks. You might just like it.

Maybe. I am okay with the 3.5 day thing. I just want a free night on the weekends. All it would take to get that is doing the change over from 6pm Tuesday until 6pm Wednesday instead of 6am Wed to 6am Thurs. The other crew does not want to give up getting the whole weekend.

Beer Baron wrote: The other crew does not want to give up getting the whole weekend.

rotate the schedules then

i will never, ever understand how some people think that a rotating schedule is a good thing... those "3 on, 3 off" kinds of deals.. then throw in the switching shifts thing.. i know people that do it, and they are always miserable. pick a shift and work it- my monday night thru thursday night (actually friday morning) routine works perfect for me... i get a 3 day weekend every week, and can do whatever i need to do at places that are open during the week either before work or on friday. if we are doing overtime, we can work 12 hour shifts. i've done this at several different jobs since 1997..

lately there have been rumors that the upper-upper-upper management (i work for a subsidiary of a subsidiary of a large multi national company) wants to go to five 8 hour shifts with overtime done on the weekends.. apparently some highly paid "expert" consultant told them that productivity falls off after 8 hours and that people have a better quality of life if they only work 8 hours a day... i told my supervisor that the day that they make us go to that work schedule is the day i walk out the door and they never see me again. she asked me why... i pointed out that it would not only be a pain in the ass for my real life, but it would also be what amounts to a pay cut for my because i'd have to make the 50 mile round trip to work at least 1 more time each week, plus i'd be spending more for food and what not. she didn't "get" my logic, but it's not her job to "get" my logic- it's her job to pretend that whatever her superiors say is the single smartest thing she's ever heard...

In reply to Beer Baron:

Seriously, propose the schedule I laid out for you......it is quite simple and fair. Each shift gets either friday or sat-sun off every other week. Otherwise tell them to cram it up their ass and look for another job.