12 Hour Shift Schedules - Love Them or Hate Them

When I asked people on blogcatalog what they felt about being willing to work a 12 hour shift schedule, this is what they had to say. For a better look at it, go to The Blog Catalog Discussion


User Comments
22 days ago tonytovar
heck no! lol
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22 days ago momscrazylife
Here's the question. Do YOU want to work a 12 hour shift?
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22 days ago scheduledoctor
I am a partner in a firm where I work more than 12 hours each day, but I don't get the days off!!

I wish I worked 8s. The point of the question is that if you have to work 40 hours a week, how do you want to do it. Shorter shifts but work more days or longer shifts with more days off. You are working the same amount of time. With gas prices, people can save a 1000 bucks on gas over the course of a year and have more days off, but some people don't want to work longer than 8 anyway. I was curious. I do appreciate your use of capitalized letters to emphasize yelling at me, but I am just asking the question.
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8 days ago MadameX
I just noticed this comment, and even though it's old it struck me as bizarre enough that I had to comment. If a person bounced a question back at another in conversation, the "you" would be verbally emphasized. That's not especially easy to convey here, where HTML is required to italicize or bold a word and then it often stays with us for the rest of the thread. Capitalization of a single word seems a perfectly natural way to reflect that vocal inflection. On the other hand, the idea of "yelling at you" for one word seems so absurd as to require extreme acrobatics to arrive at that conclusion. Why work so hard to be offended?
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8 days ago Norski
Good points, all around.
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22 days ago TimMc
My wife is a Registered Nurse. She works three 12 hour shifts per week, 7pm to 7am. She likes it. It works out very well for our family.
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22 days ago rmaxwell142
I work 12 hour shifts right now and let me tell you that it's not fun. Yes, the days off are great! But the lack of sleep and the no life on the days I work isn't fun at all. Plus, 12 hours is a long time! Working 8 hour shifts is more normal. But that's just my opinion.

Rebecca
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22 days ago scheduledoctor
So you would rather lose the days off and commute more often because you would be on the normal 8s?
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22 days ago CrotchetyOldMan
Depends on how demanding the job is.
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22 days ago tonytovar
i agree
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22 days ago scheduledoctor
great point. We work with mining operations where 12s are out of the question. However, in some call centers and lighter manufacturing facilities people can handle them easier. Gallo Glass, where they make the bottles for the wine, is a place where they work 12s in very difficult conditions due to the furnaces and all the heat. The employees wanted them badly, so management said okay. I guess in many cases it really depends on what the employees want (that is why I was curious and ask the question here).
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8 days ago gtcathey
I just left a Sand and gravel mining job, and we worked 12-15 hour days 7 days a week, overlapping with shifts. We ran 24 hours a day......now, I'm unemployed, so I save gas by blogging.
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22 days ago jmj1459
When I worked at a grocery store, moving boxes it wasn't a problem to work 12 hours. As a programmer, I can tell you that my best code is written after midnight, but not after working 12 hours. My brain shuts down. Of course when I worked at the grocery store, I was 17. Now, lets just say ... I've got a kid to keep me awake at night.
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22 days ago Majik
I would rather work 12 hour shifts on a continental schedule than 5 10-12 hour shifts a week.
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22 days ago EDBeale
I don't know how, but my mom did it for almost twenty years 7pm-7am three days a week. It kind of never really worked itself out because she'd miss most of that first day by sleeping. I'm sure that it wouldn't be too bad if it's something like 8am-8pm, though.
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22 days ago MadameX
Ha, if only it meant that. 12 hours is about my minimum day, and it doesn't mean any extra time off.
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22 days ago Norski
Indeed!
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22 days ago gmoney
3 days on 4 days off I will take that any day of the week!!!
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22 days ago PetLvr
only 12 hours a day? Oh ... to be working for an employer once again, instead of being self-employed....


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22 days ago jaffermaniar
I used to work 12 hour shifts in the assembly line and packaging a couple of years ago during the nights between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM. I worked 4 days a week.

I liked it actually because there are a few people at night, production is slow and there are not as many "supervisors". And I made a few good friends.

I'd sleep though the morning but I'd get to enjoy the afternoon sun and a three day weekend.

Would I do it again - no I wont. Unless it did not involve the amount of labour (lifting) and standing on my feet for the whole shift like my previous job required
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22 days ago maddys
ya iam working 12 hours
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22 days ago scheduledoctor
Do you like them? I do labor management work for companies like Kraft Foods and BMW and am curious as to what you think about them (the good, bad and ugly). I occassionaly implement 12s, but not always.
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22 days ago Mattaw
Nope, I'd rather work normal hours and enjoy life more everyday honestly.
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22 days ago techfun
My partner Brian has worked four 10 hour shifts per week off and on for years and he enjoys it. It means he always has at least one weekday off to run errands, see the soctor when needed, etc.. all stuff thats harder to do on weekends and evenings.

The key benefit for us is that its also cut the gas usage on his longish commute by a third since he starts earlier or works later and avoids Philly rush hour on the Schuylkill Expressway and therefore spends less time idling in traffic.
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21 days ago scheduledoctor
Does anyone want to work fewer days a week to save money on gas, or would they rather work all 5 days, but have more time off each day after work?
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21 days ago JanelleV
I would hate to work 12 hour shifts -- but if I had to, then I would.
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9 days ago scheduledoctor
So now it is you either love them or hate them. I guess it is good the at least people have a strong opinion on employee schedules and employee scheduling
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9 days ago slashdox
I don't really have a choice. Its up to my employers to give me the star and end time.
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8 days ago CleverElsie
How about this idea? Instead of glorifying the 40-hour work week, we look for ways to increase productivity while minimizing time spent at work. The general workforce was promised for years that technological advances would cut our work days in half by allowing us to get more done in less time. We're still waiting...
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8 days ago dlowe
I have talked about this before. WHat happened with all that?
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8 days ago scheduledoctor
We talked about it before, but in pockets of other questions I asked the group. It seemed like it needed its own area.

As for productivity and how it is supposed to shorten the work week, that will probably never happen. What does happen is that we are working more hours and have a lot more "things". If you relate quality of life to material things, we have a lot more "stuff" now than we did 20 or 30 years ago. Many would argue that quality of life has nothing to do with material acquisitions, but are actions prove that we are still trying to amass the most stuff. Human nature and competition means thata we will always be working at least 40 hours.
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8 days ago MadameX
We do get more done in less time, Elsie...and employer expectations grow to match.
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8 days ago dlowe
when I said "I have talked about this before. WHat happened with all that?" I meant in personal conversations with people, not on here.

My work day varies. Some days I work an 18 hour day and some days I login as fast as I logout. As long as I get my work done no one cares. I do work for a great company though. And I don't get overtime and I spend lots of time with my family.

Between telecommuting and riding my vespa, I hardly spend any money commuting.
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8 days ago MadameX
All of that is true for me, too, dlowe, except that getting the job done (at the moment, at least) generally requires more than 12 hours a day.
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8 days ago dlowe
Do you get comp time?
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8 days ago Programminghelp
don't mine I might sleep on the job though.
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8 days ago timethief
I worked flextime (4 - 10 hour days per week) for years and I loved it.
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8 days ago Anok
Working 12 hour shifts means getting an additional 87 days off a year with the same pay

Only if your employer offers paid vacation, salary, or 12 hour shifts aren't the norm, or you always work a 40 hour work week, instead of another schedule.

My husbands last job was 12 hours a day, five days a week. No "extra days off" that was his schedule. His job before that required 16-18 hour days, 4-5 days a week. No extra days off because of it.

You either worked those hours, or you didn't get paid.
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8 days ago scheduledoctor
If you could get the days off, would you like it?
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8 days ago Anok
Yup. I would like it even more if we never needed money for anything, and everyday he had was "off" or at the very least able to spend it at home or with me and Punky.

Dare to dream...
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8 days ago kdawg68
also depends if you are "exempt" or non-exempt" I suppose. I went from getting paid massive OT as a non-exempt employee to being paid nothing for OT as an exempt - and told that a certain amount of voluntary non-paid OT was "expected" for your position (in other words - you can't say "but my day was over a 5" if something isn't done.)
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8 days ago globalgirl
Forget the 12 hour shifts for more vacation time; let's adopt the European way and have 5 weeks off and work 8 hours a day.

I couldn't see being at my day job for 12 hours a day. My own company or non-profit? Yes.
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8 days ago scheduledoctor
It seems like people either love them or hate them and it is very personal.
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8 days ago iagosmom
not anymore! no! no! no!

LOLz.
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8 days ago scheduledoctor
Sounds like you hate them! I am glad you are free from the 12 hour jail.
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8 days ago MadameX
Scheduledoctor, I know you're concerned primarily with wage earners, but what do you think about the related issue of fake exempt employees who earn salaries in the twenties and thirties and are expected to put in a 60-70 hour week (or more)?
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8 days ago scheduledoctor
It would be nice to believe that if those people were being taken advantage of they would find work elsewhere. Unfortunately, we know this is not often the case. The good news is that labor laws are allowing for big settlements for abusive practices. One security force in California won a $10 million lawsuit because the company was not paying for all of the shift worker's time. California probably goes a little overboard, but the fact is that the rest of the country (and this is a state regulated labor issue) is being scrutinized and classifications are not set in stone. Exempt workers in many cases are becoming Non-Exempt (from overtime) allowing them to make moeny for all the hours they work over 40. Don't forget that no matter what state in the U.S. you work in, overtime is always calculated at at least 1.5 times after 40 hours if you are a non-exempt employee. Parts of Canada do not have this same rule and allow averaging pay from week to week over the course of 4 weeks to avoid some overtime costs.
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8 days ago Norski
MadameX,

"...fake exempt employees..." Huh? New term to me. Are they employees who are fakely exempt, entities that appear in the books, but aren't real people, or what?

I think you're referring to the 'professional' who's given a set amount of money each quarter, or year, or whatever - on paper is only expected to work 40 hours a week - and given a workload that can't be done in under 100.

But, I could be wrong.
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8 days ago MadameX
You're on the right track, Norski. Exempt employees are supposed to be professionals with substantial control over the performance of their jobs and such, but often people are given titles and classified as exempt for purposes of avoiding overtime, even though they are in fact doing jobs that don't fit that classification at all. For example, an "office manager" might be salaried and not paid overtime, but her actual job might require her to be at her desk from 8-5 every day in addition to whatever additional hours are required to get the job done...thus, she has the obligation to "work as much as it takes" without pay that true exempt employees have, but not the flexibility to come in at noon on Tuesday if she worked until midnight on Monday. All the downsides with none of the benefits, essentially (no control, no flexibility unless someone specifically approves it, but also no overtime and an expectation of working however many hours are needed)
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8 days ago Phoenix1962
I would love to work 12 hours a day as long as it is not over 40 hours for the week.
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8 days ago scheduledoctor
Some people work over 40 every other week (36, 48, 36, 48). The good thing about this is that even though they average 42 hours, they are paid 44. This is because they are paid 36, 52, 36, 52 based on 8 hours of OT every other week that equates to 12 hours of pay. You only average 42 hours which one might assume is 2 hours of OT and 3 of pay. You essentially get paid an additional 2%! Not bad over the course of a year.
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8 days ago Norski
I've pulled 12 hour shifts - for a company, and (more often) for myself.

I haven't complained about the overtime for someone else - generally - because I was paid time-and-a-half for the extra hours (non-union shop with a fairly smart boss). And, I could use the money.

When I've done that sort of thing for myself, my body generally lodges a complaint for me. We've worked out a temporary compromise. More of a truce, actually.
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8 days ago scheduledoctor
A lot of people may work 3 or 4 12s a week, but a lot of complaints come from those that work 5 and 6 of them.
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8 days ago TimMc
Since I work at home now for myself, my schedule varies. Generally I put in 8-12hrs/day. Sometimes it is way more than 12. But, if it's a really nice day and I want to go do something else, I have the freedom to do so (I just catch up later).

I'm thrilled.

How to Create an Effective Employee Shift Schedule

Please excuse the formatting on this employee scheduling issue. For a full version with all four categories of employee scheduling strategy, you can pull it off our corporate website at this location: www.corepractice.com

Dedicating resources and time towards continuous improvement will always be constrained within businesses, both large and small. All too often the day-to-day obligations, including fighting fires and dealing with constant operational changes, limits improvement activity to purchasing costly capital equipment and then hoping productivity improves enough to justify the cost. While capital improvements should have a significant role in your business strategy, the right labor schedule can minimize a variety of existing problems and result in substantial cost savings. These benefits hit your bottom line year after year.

Business leaders miss millions of dollars in opportunities by doing the wrong thing such as:

• Copying a schedule
• Listening only to employees
• Implementing a scheduling with out working with employees on the solution
• Doing nothing with the hope that problems will eventually go away.

Changing employee schedules is like forecasting; it is easy to do, but very difficult to do well.

You only get one shot at making a successful schedule change. Most facilities can achieve an 11% to 17% improvement in labor costs by implementing the right schedule. With millions of dollars on the line, you must follow the four critical focus areas: Operations and Labor, Employee Buy-In, Health & Safety and Implementation.
Core Practice Partners LLC is in Operation and Labor strategy, specializing in shift work and scheduling. If your organization operates outside the 9-5, Monday through Friday work week, contact John Frehse, Chief Strategist and Executive Coach in Labor Strategy at: jfrehse@corepractice.com or call 1-212-534-0539. You can also learn about our free half day executive workshop on our website at: www.corepractice.com.

12 Hour Shift Schedules - The Gas Friendly Schedule

Please remember that although 12 hour shifts are long, frankly 50% longer than 8 hour shifts, they will save you over $1,000.00 each year on gas if you spend $12.00 each day on round trip commuting. This isn't to say 12 hour shifts are right for everyone, but they are worth a second look. For more information on shift scheduling, please see www.corepractice.com.

Employee Scheduling Becomes Spotlight Issue For U.S. Manufacturers

In an effort to reduce controllable costs, executives are searching high and low to find new alternatives for cost reduction. Frankly, there aren't a lot of places to look. The largest category of potential cost reduction for most facility is labor and for that reason, management teams are looking for new ways to improve. The website www.corepractice.com is a potential resource for management teams to get started. They offer a half day workshop that covers both best practices and case studies that are industry specific. The only cost of the workshop is travel and the workshop is conducted by someone with over 10 years experience in the field. Employee scheduling is hard enough. Use the workshop to maximize your current assets while reducing controllable costs.