Work around the Clock
July 24th 2008 15:20
Shift work! Those two words can invoke fear and dread in the hearts of even the most stoic individual. With the majority of the civilized world following the '9 to 5' way of living, more and more people are finding themselves working out of the traditional hours. For whatever reason, being financial, family or political, the relegation to afternoon or night shift can really throw a person outside the normal structure of our culture. There is also the hidden dramas associated with the body-clock being thrown completely out of whack.
I have recently been offered a night shift position (12am to 6am) at a company which relies on it's 24 hr production. Sure it's only 6 hrs a day, but i've found it difficult to try and arrange my time both for my body and for my partner. You see while she sleeps, i 'm at work, and vice-versa. Of course being told by her that she slept like a baby while i was at work didn't really help matters. Then on the other hand it's promising that she 'slept' and wasn't up to anything else, which seems to be quite popular for shift workers' partners.
Anyway, paranoia aside, i found myself wanting to go home straight to bed, where if i had a 9 to 5 job, i wouldn't be going to bed until 10-11 at night. That would have me going to bed around midday, with the obligatory couple of JD's before hand. That seems ridiculous to me so i will try to conform to the rest of the world by going to bed straight away and still allowing myself some of the afternoon to do stuff. It's just unfortunate that i can't over-exert myself as to wear myself out for work that evening/morning!
I am definitely looking forward to spring as right now the mornings are way too cold, both before and after work. I can just see myself cruising to work at 11.30 with the windows down and the music up, comfortable in the fact that i will be working in the coolest part of the day for the next several months. Also with Daylight Savings, i'll be able to have more daylight in which to potter about outside. Bring it on!
It will be hard until we get into a routine, but thousands of others manage to do it on a daily basis, so why can't i? At least it's not as bad as Afternoon shift workers who have to endure crap TV programming when they get home. Unfortunately, while we have to do better to cater for society, many aspects of our civilization aren't willing to cater for the shift worker. It's a shame. Either way though, shift work isn't for everybody, but for many, it works!!
Anyway, paranoia aside, i found myself wanting to go home straight to bed, where if i had a 9 to 5 job, i wouldn't be going to bed until 10-11 at night. That would have me going to bed around midday, with the obligatory couple of JD's before hand. That seems ridiculous to me so i will try to conform to the rest of the world by going to bed straight away and still allowing myself some of the afternoon to do stuff. It's just unfortunate that i can't over-exert myself as to wear myself out for work that evening/morning!
It will be hard until we get into a routine, but thousands of others manage to do it on a daily basis, so why can't i? At least it's not as bad as Afternoon shift workers who have to endure crap TV programming when they get home. Unfortunately, while we have to do better to cater for society, many aspects of our civilization aren't willing to cater for the shift worker. It's a shame. Either way though, shift work isn't for everybody, but for many, it works!!
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