What hours do (or did) you prefer to work?

[NYH1]

My first job after high school was 1st shift which was 7am to 4pm Mon. through Fri. which equaled 43.75 hours a week. We actually worked 8.5 hour days and had to take a half hour lunch (and were docked) which gave us 3.75 hours a week in overtime!

When I started at the plant I was on 3rd shift which is 11pm to 7am and at the time was seven days a week! I thought those were the worst possible hour I could ever work.....I hated them hours! Then I got bumped to 2nd shift which is 3pm to 11pm and was still pretty much seven days a week.

Last October I transferred to a different department. It was 1st shift only and because of that we didn't get "paid lunch" and had to go in a half hour earlier. It has to be a "three shift" department to get paid lunch which is only 18 minute instead of a half hour. Our hours were 6:30am to 3pm. I did that for about 10 months and had a hard time getting up that early. I was on 2nd shift (3pm-11pm) for seven years before this. I bumped back to 2nd shift about a month ago and last week I was down sized out of my department. Its because of a model year change over (auto industry) and their only going to be running a 1st shift for a few months. The department I was transferred to is a three shift department so we get paid lunch and don't have to work the extra half hour. I don't know why but I want to go back to 1st shift (7am to 3pm). I got used to being a round the kids (12yr and 8yr old daughters, and 4yr son)! At first it wasn't a big deal because it was summer time and I saw them all morning and early afternoon before I went to work. Now that their back in school I only see them on weekends. Im just not used to it!

I guess my question is which hours do you or did you prefer to work? Did you even have a choice!

[Graybeard]

Back in my working days I used to think a job that went from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM with a two hour lunch period would be about perfect. But since retiring I've decided that really would be excessive.  :eek: These days whatever work I'm gonna do gets done between 7:00 and 10:30 AM. After that no more work of any kind.

[Savage .250]

I`ll stick with the present.............  RETIRED!!     Most of my working years the hours were 7am till 4pm. Left me plenty of time in the summer months to go bass fishing.  Don`t remember my "working" hours while in the Air Force, to long ago.  

 " The best part of the hunt is not the harvest but in the experience."

[pffft]

I worked one job from 12 to 6 AM.
No lunch break, and still paid for 8 hours.
I loved it because I could take care of all my personal business during the daytime while everything was still open.
Don't think that could happen nowdays without breaking some dumb law.
Give me the good ol' days...

[cma g21]

Just retired after 33 years, all but two of which I worked 24 hours on, 48 hours off.

I really liked the time off, but towards the end the 24 on was getting to be too much.

[Nixter]

I love third shift. 11 PM until my assigned work is done. My end time is anywhere between 7 AM and 3PM. Average is about 9AM though.

I've never worked second shift so I can't comment on it but it doesn't look to appealing.


Nixter

[Shorty]

The biggest mistake I ever made was working second shift for the same twelve years that my kids were in school.  Oh, the pay was better, and I had daylight hours at home to do chores, but seeing the kids only on weekends made me an absentee father.  I tell all young fathers that I work with, never do that to yourself or your family.  The extra money isn't worth it.

[Qtip]

I've worked all three. When I was a corrections officer with the Sheriff's Dept. Then I made Sgt. on 3-11PM shift. Got a lot of stuff done, but had little social life. Went to the road patrol and worked all shifts. Then my last five years on the job I worked Mon-Fri 8-4Pm and felt human again. Been "retired" four years but still have to work. Presently working security 12-8Am. I just have to adjust to the sleep habits. No kids, so that didn't play into it. Days are best for folks with children as you are more a part of their lives. I found that each shift had good and bad points and you kind of have to figure which fits your lifestyle best(if you have a choice-I didn't).

Qtip
Soli Deo Gloria!
To God Alone Be The Glory!

[rockbilly]

:roll: Plus 65 and still going strong..........shift doesn't make any difference as long as I get a fair DAYS pay for my TWO hours work.

I thought about retiring, but after all these years I have to have a place to go each morning. If things go according to plans, I will retire in April 06, sell my house in town, and move everything out to the farm. Then the wife and I will hook on to the 5th wheel and hit the road for at least two years, health permitting.  I would like to take a slow tour across Canada, up to Alaska and then visit the lower 48.

[stimpylu32]

Right now i am working 4/10s 7 am to 5:30 pm , But i just love nights -11:00 pm to 7:00 am

The thing i am working on is a 2 day week , a 5 day weekend and a 40 hour paycheck -when i get that one figgered out i;ll have it licked  :-D  :-D  :-D

[jhm]

Being retired is the BEST job I have ever had 24 hrs on duty 7 days a week, and all the vacation time my wife can afford, cant beat it, and the weekends are pretty good also.      JIM

[SAWgunner]

Right now on the Railroad I go to work whenever I get called for a train.  I stand to go out at 3 in the morning right now, but I am probably going to sleep because it will end up being 2300 tonight.  I have spent 60 hours at home without a call (which is the worse thing because you spend 24 or them waiting to get called) and as little as 6 and a half hours at home with the family.  I usually spend about 2 days away from home, and anywhere from 4-12 hours on a train..although I have spent 19 hours in the cab of a locomotive.  I don't remember the hours in the Army being this grueling.

SAWgunner

[williamlayton]

I cannot agree or disagree with any working hours as I never worked shift. I worked at a few places, one place for 25 years, but it was always a salaried position, 8am-5pm.
This/these were the hours but they meant little. Work began before 8am and often ended at 9/10 pm. Lunch was when I wanted to take it/could take it. I had the time and freedom to take care of personal business during the day as I could arrange my schedule to meet those needs, well sometimes, as crisis/emergency/other interference at work would have need for me to alter plans and rearrange the schedule.
I would, normally get to my workplace about 6:30 or 7 am. I would normally have my day arranged and taken care of by 9:30 or 10. The rest of the day was spent putting out fires, re-arranging work, taking care of customer concerns and planning/organizing/making sure work orders were in place for other departments the next day and overseeing work to completion.
I would say that early too mid-day would have been best for me as I am an early riser.
Blessings

[Hooker]

What shift? I'm on call 24/7 and I've had 2 days off since December 2nd.
Such is the life of a wrecker driver.
I would prefer 8hrs a day 5 days a week 6 AM- 2 PM and not be on call.
But after awhile you get use to being attached all the time.
Heck I've been on call for the last 18 years. If they counted hours instead of years I be retired 4 times already :lol:

Pat

[muzzleblast525]

I thought working my patrol shift, 6a-6p, 3 days on, 3 days off, then 4 days on and 4 days off was great.

But now I work 7a-6p Tuesday-Friday, off Sat/Sun/Mon....We don't get paid for lunch, but we do get 1 hour to work out on duty.  Such is life.....

[SAWgunner]

What shift? I'm on call 24/7 and I've had 2 days off since December 2nd.
Such is the life of a wrecker driver.
I would prefer 8hrs a day 5 days a week 6 AM- 2 PM and not be on call.
But after awhile you get use to being attached all the time.
Heck I've been on call for the last 18 years. If they counted hours instead of years I be retired 4 times already :lol:

Pat

Just like a railroader, except I work for idiots.

SAWgunner

[trick45]

Eh, put me on the schedule, and I'll show up. For the past couple of years, I've done mostly 7pm to 7am, three days one week, four days the next. Lately because of injuries among the other supervisors, it's been irregular. We may be scheduled to work either 8 or 12 hour shifts, the 12s being 7pm-7am or 7am-7pm, and the 8s, 11pm-7am, 7am-3pm or 3pm-11pm. We can work anywhere from three to six days a week. Two weeks from now, I get the one I really don't like. On the schedule, it shows up as "P D A P D A." The "P" is 7pm-7am, the "D" is a day off, and an "A" is 7am-7pm. The result is 12 hours on, 24 hours off, repeat x 3. I've never been able to adjust to a 36-hour circadian cycle. Fortunately, I've had to work it only once a year or so for the past 20 years. It still makes for a rough week.
 
Peace
Kevin

[schutzen]

After 30 years of working various rotating swing shifts I have found the best shifts are Off Days, Holidays, and Vacation days.

In all seriousness, if you have to swing, the best shift is the 12 hour shift.
Work 4 night shifts, 3 days off, work 3 day shifts, 1 day off, work 3 night shifts, 3 days off, work 4 day shifts then off for 14 days before starting a new rotation.  (during the 14 day break you use your vacation days)

If I had to go back to a seven day 8 hour swing I would retire immediately.  Hmmm, I think i'll try that retirement next year regardless of the hours.

[RockinB]

I never prefered work.