Ten-Hour Shiftwork (1 Viewer)

[Shayne Judge]

Our department is attempting to change to four days working ten hour shifts per week. Does anyone have information or research that I could reference that could show the pros/cons of this and other various shifts such as five days working eight hours, twelve hour shifts, or other schedules?

 

[NickT]

I don't have any links to reference material, but I work a 10 hour shift and I love it. While you don't have that much off time on workdays, having an extra day off more than makes up for it, in my opinion.

 

[Mike OConnell]

Shayne,

First of all - what do you do? Is this manual labor shift work, some type of IT job, a professional occupation, or ?

In either case, I would love to work four ten hour days.

Of course, with my employee you are expected to work five ten hour days (including an hour each day for lunch).

Mike

 

[Todd Hochard]

Having worked 8, 10 and 12 hour shifts, I can say that 10 hours are best overall. Three days off every week. If you can go Mon-Thurs, you've hit the jackpot.
I'm currently doing two 8's and two 12's, with three days off (Fri, Sat, Sun), and the 12's are long. Prior to that, I worked 12s for 5 years (4 on, 3 off, 3 on, 4 off). Too long, too wasted to do anything by day four.
Take the four tens and smile. I've read somewhere that four tens are the most efficient workweek.
Todd
P.S. Where do you work, and can I get a job there? I thik my contract is going south soon.

 

[Shayne Judge]

I am a police officer. I have done some research on the net, and best information I have found states that you are more fatigued at the end of ten hours vs eight, and the extra day off is a benefit. I could really use a research paper or hard data that compares the various shifts. Changing shifts looks promising, considering I have composed a schedule that allows officers to stay on eight hour shifts if they want. Basically, I want to present information to management that will seal the deal.

 

[JoeN]

I had the chance to do 10 hour days a few years ago and would do it again in a heartbeat. I ended up with Wednesdays off and it was great. I never worked more then two days in a row without at least one day off. I much prefer that then trying to do four days in a row then take three off.

 

[Jay H]

Our work week is mixed, we do 9 hour days and get alternating fridays off. The Friday we do work, it's a normal 8 hour day. Since on Fridays, we either get paid or have off, I love Fridays. I love the longer hours cause I love to spend the extra friday off either out backpacking or hiking or biking without the crowds or running errands and stuff while most people are working.
I bike to work early (7am I'm at work) and get off early so I can beat the traffic, but the most people who complain about the longer work days usually has to do with children and the scheduling with school, or for people who live real far away and have to get up super early to commute.
Jay

 

[Brian Perry]

I agree with the others that 4x10 would be best, but as a police officer you may not want to be fatigued near the end of your shift -- it could be dangerous if your reflexes are slower.

 

[Patrick_S]

One interesting view of the 10-hour workday is that HR departments tend to hate it when it comes to salaried employees.

The thinking is that if you are salaried and are working an eight-hour shift you'll tend to work a little over time now and then without ever thinking about it.

If you are salaried and working a ten-hour shift you tend to leave after your ten hours so the company loses out on the free labor.

Needles to say most companies want and even plan on the "free" labor in their work force projections.

I know this really doesn't help Shayne but I find it interesting.

 

[Edwin-S]

No researh data, just personal experience. Extended shifts like 10 or 12 hour shifts are job killers. We have 10 hour shifts in one area of our department and quite frankly if they didn't exist the company would have been unable to layoff as many people as they did. It also saves on overtime because if you normally work an 8 hour shift, the two extra hours would have been paid at overtime rates if a person was required. To get the so- called "benefit" of an extra day off, you are giving up potential overtime pay. If your benefits like sick benefits are calculated around an 8 hour day then you lose out there too. For example where I work, if you book sick you have to lose three working days before you become eligible for sick benefits. With an 8 hour day that means you have to lose 24 hours pay. With the 10 hour shift, you now have to lose 30 hours pay before qualifying.

A true benefit would be a 36 hour work week. The compressed work week is just a form of flex time. If your contract states that you are to work a forty hour week and you book sick on one of your work days and you lose 10 hours, then the company could conceivably require you to come in on your supposed "day" off to make up for the time you have lost. The extra "day" off is smoke and mirrors, as far as I am concerned.

If the Company is pushing the idea for an extended shift, then the benefits are primarily in favor of the Company. Somewhere along the line they think they are saving money...most likely in future layoffs. They have no interest in fostering anything that improves the lives of their employees because to do that means increasing their costs somewhere in the chain.

 

[Travis Hedger]

10 hour days?

Pfftt. Try 12 hour shifts! HEH.

Where I am at now I have 12 hour days.

First week in a pay period I work 48 hours in 4 days. I get 40 regular hours then 8 hours of OT. The second week I work 36 hours in 3 days. for a total of 76 regular hours and 8 hours of OT every 2 weeks.

It is pretty good even though the days are long however, I get either 3 days or 4 days off depending on what I worked prior in that part of the week.

 

[Todd Hochard]

They have no interest in fostering anything that improves the lives of their employees because to do that means increasing their costs somewhere in the chain.

Bitter about something, Edwin?
Sure, the different shift lengths most certainly benefit the company, but if you go to work everyday with an "us against them" mentality, then:
1. You're not doing anything to help your position.
2. You're not helping/promoting/improving/refining/etc. whatever you've been hired to do i.e. your not furthering the company's position, which further endangers your future employment.
Being at a semiconductor plant that is in VERY real danger of closing, I see this a LOT these days. Union employees doing all sorts of seedy things- for what? Someone actually wrote an anti-corporate message on the bathroom wall in feces the other day! What the heck did that prove, other than to solidify the idea of shutting down completely?
But we're getting off track. I can't be a police officer. I'd kill too many people
Todd

 

[Ashley Seymour]

My wife works in the sheriff's department and her 4x10 shifts start at 8:30 P.M. and she is off 6:30 A.M. She liked the nights so that she could be up when the kids got home home from school. I would like it as I remember working at a bank and being gone for 9 hours (hour off for lunch) but not getting the extra day off.

I think the type of work you do will affect your level of fatigue. I found that dealing with people all day would make me really tired by the end of the day. When I started analyzing commercial credits and had little customer contact, I would not feel tired at all when I left. I always loved working with people, but I have researched my personality type and agree that a lot of contact for me is stressful. I could probably work on computers all day long and not feel tired at all after 8 or 10 hours.

 

[Mike Voigt]

Shayne,
I worked 8, 9/80, 10 and 12 hour rounds. By far the best is 10 hours. 9/80 works out ok, too, I just like that 2nd day off I would go to it in a heartbeat if it were offered; I tend to work 10-12 hour days anyway. 12 hours is way too long for most people, and you end up quite tired.
The places in industry that have gone to 4/10s have generally found it to be a personnel saver. Most personnel will work some OT anyway; this essentially incorporates the OT into a daily routine, but gives a day off instead of paying for OT. Those who have family find it particularly nice, as it gives them a day extra each week to spend with them.
Others prefer the pay, and for those it doesn't work out so well, as it cuts down on overall OT. Understandable, but from a planning perspective, it makes job planning that much easier. Long repair days can be scheduled, which can make things considerably more efficient, without regard to those 2 hours of OT. Actually, once employees get that extra day off, it becomes harder and harder to argue against it. It is not that they are being cut short, the OT pay essentially changes to more contiguous time off.
Mike

 

[Thomas Reagan]

I'm supposed to be working M-F for 8 hour shifts, but somehow they always work out to be 10hr+ shifts.
Being salaried, sux !
Thos.

 

[Ash Williams]

I worked a swing shift consisting of 2 weeks of 5-8/hr days and 2 weeks of 5-8/hr nights Monday-Friday with overtime as needed, which basicly ment 2 Saturdays a month during the summer and staying late or coming in early depending on which shift you were on at the time. I absoulutly hated that shift because you never got used to it. After working 2 weeks of nights, which I liked, I was never able to sleep at night when I had to work days. I asked to be put on Graveyard which was 5-8/hr nights Sunday-Thursday and I liked it. I worked that for about a year and half and then they desided to do away with the Graveyard shift. During the time I was on Graveyard, they implimented a new shift that I did not want to work. It consisted of 1 week of 4-10/hr nights then 3 days off followed by 1 week of 4-10/hr days then get 5 days off,then you work 4-10/hr days and get 1 day off then you work 2-10/hr days and get 2 more off then you work 2-10/hr days get 2 off and rinse and repeat. Sound confusing? That's what I said, so I quit and am now unemployed WooHoo! I should have another job lined up shortly though. :frowning:

 

[Jon_Are]

I work 2 8-hour shifts and 2 12-hour shifts each week. The twelves are long, but the extra day off every week makes it worth it. The best part: the 8's fly by in comparison; 8 hour shifts - even though I work two a week - almost seem like half-days.

Jon

 

[Shawn Shultzaberger]

I currently work four 10 hour days with 3 days off and I love it. Plus I work nights and one weekend day (Saturday). They keep asking me to go back on days but I just won't do it. Those 3 days off really give me a chance to get things done. And if I want, that's 3 days of movies, games, good distractions and a lot less stress.

 

[Jim_F]

I loved working 4 ten hour afternoon shifts/week.

Now I love working 7 on/7 off midnights even more.

 

[Jason Merrick]

Shayne,

You should contact LAPD about their current switch-over to alternate work schedules. Maybe our Human Resources would be a good starting point. I am sure they can either offer some research of their own, or point you in the direction of available research.

From what I have heard, the chief was absolutely against implementing a compressed work week, but the new mayor used that as a campaign issue to get the endorsement of the police union, so he got it done soon after taking office.

We have 18 geographic divisions within LAPD, and each one had it's discretion on how to implement the compressed schedule. Some went to 2 12-hour shifts and 1 overlapping 10-hour shift, others have 3 12-hour shifts, etc.

I think for the most part, patrol officers were the only ones to benefit from this schedule. Detectives, specialized units, and civilian staff have all retained their standard schedules (although I believe some of them were already working a 9/80 schedule).

Good luck!