THinking about the overnight shift at work...

[Tim Lingor]

Re: THinking about the overnight shift at work...

So you're saying I'll start hearing bells if I do this?

Wouldn't that make you a "Ding-a-ling"?? LOLOLOL

Tim

[Andy M.]

Re: THinking about the overnight shift at work...

So you're saying I'll start hearing bells if I do this?

Ding, Ding!

[Nick Chapman]

Re: THinking about the overnight shift at work...

Hey Nick,

Personally, I would not do the night shift. It will drain you physically and mentally. Your sleeping patterns will be a mess, and honestly, I think you will end up detailing less as you will be constantly drained. I have never had a job which had a night shift, but I know many that have. Each and everyone hated it. I am not saying there are not people out there who actually like the graveyard shift, but at least none that I know.

Do you know where the expression Graveyard Shift came from? In the olden days, people would go into a type of comma that simulated death, usually caused from lead poisoning. They would be buried, as they were thought to be dead! Many villages would later dig up the coffins to re-use them only to find scratch marks inside the lid. Obviously, these people came out of their comas only to find they were buried alive! So they began attaching a string/rope to the hand of the person in the coffin. When they were buried, the string would go up a pipe to above ground and attach to a bell. If someone awoke and the bell started ringing, they would have to quickly dig up the person! Because that could happen at any time, they needed someone at the graveyard 24 hours a day. Hence, the graveyard shift!

Tim

So you're saying I'll start hearing bells if I do this?

[Tim Lingor]

Re: THinking about the overnight shift at work...

Hey Nick,

Personally, I would not do the night shift. It will drain you physically and mentally. Your sleeping patterns will be a mess, and honestly, I think you will end up detailing less as you will be constantly drained. I have never had a job which had a night shift, but I know many that have. Each and everyone hated it. I am not saying there are not people out there who actually like the graveyard shift, but at least none that I know.

Do you know where the expression Graveyard Shift came from? In the olden days, people would go into a type of comma that simulated death, usually caused from lead poisoning. They would be buried, as they were thought to be dead! Many villages would later dig up the coffins to re-use them only to find scratch marks inside the lid. Obviously, these people came out of their comas only to find they were buried alive! So they began attaching a string/rope to the hand of the person in the coffin. When they were buried, the string would go up a pipe to above ground and attach to a bell. If someone awoke and the bell started ringing, they would have to quickly dig up the person! Because that could happen at any time, they needed someone at the graveyard 24 hours a day. Hence, the graveyard shift!

Tim

[Nick Chapman]

Re: THinking about the overnight shift at work...

As it stands now(and I've been doing this for a few years now), I go in at 6am and get off at 2pm. Then detailing cars until 7-9pm.
So, I am already doing the 12-16 hour days, this schedule change would just free up my morning and afternoon vs just my afternoons that I have free now.

[Andy M.]

Re: Thinking about the overnight shift at work...

Hey Nick,

This is a tough decision to make, only because if you don't like it your stuck for 12 months. Yes you are correct in saying that you could detail a lot more, however, it will screw up the weekends when you do have time to spend with family. Your internal clock will be reset. You will become used to being up all night while they are used to being asleep. And, you will be used to sleeping when they are awake. I work the middle shift, well, if you want to call it that. My hours are from 2 in the afternoon until when I am finished which is anywhere from midnight to 2AM. After I drive the hour home I simply cannot go to sleep because I am to wound up. I may be exhausted, but still cannot sleep. Another thing to think of is diet. You will start eating at all kinds of crazy times. For example, I eat dinner normally around 2 - 3AM. Since the kids are back to school now, I really don't see anyone until the weekend. Not to mention the things I cannot get finished during the week I do on the weekends. I know you are a busy guy and you really enjoy what you do and you are very good at it. Just trying to give you a few things to think about.

Andy

[VonLego]

Re: THinking about the overnight shift at work...

I work at UPS and a few folks have done some over night shifts that I've talked to. We have a "Night shift" from 10:30 till about 2:30. We also have a preload shift from about 3:00 till 7:00. Night shift itself isn't to bad, you're just waking up at noon at earliest. Preload, waking up at 1:30 am to go to work... is a difficult thing and the two folks I know pretty well said they became zombies for over a year. By Friday they were walking husks. Granted, one of these folks was trying to go to school and the other had kids.

Bottom line is this WILL screw your sleep pattern up and WILL deplete you. Are you good with low sleep? Can you still be effective? If so you could do it, but think of your family. Do you really want to work 18 hour days, and then try to sleep while the kids are getting home from school? Its hard enough to do homework while folks are getting home... let alone sleep!! (fyi, stay at home college student here)

[Nick Chapman]

Considering going to the overnight shift here at work.

Pro's:
Could nap at work
Full day to run the detailing business vs half days
No more child care issues-Although they are rare, when these issues come up, one of us has to call in sick.
Not working around managment

Con's:
Working overnight shift
Tough to get sleep during the day when everyone else is home.
Would be a major culture shock
Bidding shifts is for an entire year. So if I didn't like it, from Jan 1st to Dec 31st, I would be stuck with it.


Really not sure what to do here. There are some good pro's about going to an overnight shift, but there are some con's also. It would be nice to have more hours to run the detailing. But is it worth it?