Earlies, lates, nights, seven day shift patterns, four on four off. Confused? I bet you are. Let me guess, you work Monday to Friday and have week...ends to your good selves? Well, good for you, hope you enjoy them. There`s always Saturday to do that DIY job but then football, shopping or a social invite may mean you have to do the B and Q trip on Sunday but then you`re back to work on Monday, so by the time you get home from the hassles and frustrations of retail madness, half the day has miraculously dispersed, well, there`s always next weekend!
I`ve been a shift worker since I left school. Monday to Friday doesn`t mean anything to me in that sense. I don`t really get that Friday feeling that radio reminds me one should be having at around 3pm once a week but then I don`t get that enevitable Sunday evening sorrow creeping into my mind to remind me of the impending morning blues. By the way, I`m not intending to offend or upset the the majority of good working folk of the nation who work the normal nine to five, oh no, my issue is for all the people out there who feel SORRY for us! Can I make a stand on this here day and by rightfully declare and shout out loud: `ON BEHALF OF MY FELLOW SHIFT WORKER - PLEASE OH PLEASE DO NOT FEEL SORRY FOR US!!`
Sure we work strange hours to you but maybe you work strange hours to us? It always seems like we`re at work, we`ll actually, I probably get more time off than you. In fact if you would care to spend some more time with me, you might actually dare say that I`m always at home. You see the thing is, I get really irritated by people who feel sorry for me or give me that sobering expression of`poor thing` after I tell them I have to go to work at some unusual hour. Listen here my good people, IT`S NOT THAT BAD!! I`m fully aware of the cons of shift work. Sure, you`re social life does take a pounding, you can`t always get the time off with everyone else and there is the feeling of slight isolation and disruptive sleep patterns. Remember though my young apprentice is that there are Pros. Shift work is a major force in the UK now. Many industries depend on it and could not thrive without. There are such things as a 24hr operations in out midsts.
I work a seven day shift pattern for example. Read and digest. Seven days does seem like a long time to be at work, trying to explain this concept to people is hard sometimes but keep up you`ll get there in the end. After an early shift I`m home at 14:30 so the rest of the afternoon is free time to do whatever I want, be it walk the dog, go for a windy walk or phone a friend. Lates is not quite as good. I`ll hold my sleepy hand up to that statement but I can have a nice lie in the morning if the choice dictates. I can relax, watch morning TV or better still I can get up early and do something productive in the morning, maybe invite the postman in for tea or perhaps plan a hassle free trip to B and Q while everyone else is at work. Nightshifts mean during the day I can do whatever I want. I can take a nice day trip somehere, persue that burgeoning hobby or second job which many of us wish to do. Ok, so I`m up all night but then I can sleep all day if I so choose. If I don`t, well, whilst a few hours would be lost, these can surely be made up. Just think, when you`re sitting on the train being crammed in like a sardine and having to put up with stench of a right guard vacant commuter, I`ll be tucked up in bed dreaming of a better world. To make your day even better, I then have five days off. That's one, two, three, four, five people!! Plenty of time do that DIY job, further that hobby, fix the car, socialise or experience the simple pleasure of shopping with less people or traffic around. I might decide to take a trip to New York, maybe Dubai if spontaneity decided to come knocking at the door and what`s more, I`ll still be back in time for tea a few days later. When work eventually beckons, getting to my destination is less stressful. I don`t tend to sit in traffic like some poor unfortunate souls. My shift start times are a world away from rush hour and road rages. I can just calmly drive into work without a care in my little world and leave with the same little thoughts. Sigh, there is never enough time to do anything in the evening, especially during the week they all say. Hate to make you feel worse but by then we`ve already had dinner, polished up nicely or run our errands. Now, this evening is my oyster. By the time you see me, I`ve already hit the gym or done my class. Perhaps I might go out for a drink, catch a movie or a show, I could even make the cheaper early showing perhaps.
So you see you might want to think carefully next time before you feel sorry for a shift worker. I think the tables have been turned slightly and it`s safe to say we could and maybe we should feel sorry for you. I`ll give you that sorrowful look next time I see you running for that bus on dreary Monday morning or moaning that the weekends go too quick. By the way, don`t bother writing in or coming round to complain. I`ll probably be at work...
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