8hr shifts vs 12hr shifts

[martyb25]

I'm currently in charge of putting together a proposal to switch from 8 hour shifts to 12 shifts in our security department. Our management is 100% on board with this but a lot of guys are afraid of change. I've put together a really strong proposal but what I could really use is some testimonials from others who switched from 8s to 12s, ecspecially those who initially oposed it. Let me know what were your fears before the change and what were your feelings after the change. Did it improve your work-life balance. Our proposal is for the 4on, 3off, 3on, 4 off schedule using Wednesday as the pivoting "swing" day. Whatever info you could give me would be HUGE! Thanks to all who reply, you guys (and gals) rock!

[UncaBuffalo]

The hardest part of the day for me is getting up (esp. to an alarm clock) and getting ready for work.  So, I love 12's...fewer 'get-ups' to make it through.

The only downside I see to more days off is that it's harder to stick to a budget with that much free time.

[hamsamich]

is this going to be a rotating shift schedule, and is it now a rotating shift schedule?  (going from days to nights more than once a month).  that would make a huge difference.  shifting gears is easier on 8's, but I like 12's better than 8's when you don't rotate.  if it is a 12 hour rotating shift I will never work that again unless I can't feed my children.  if I had to work a rotating shift I would much prefer 8's, but also depends on how many times people get held over, making the 8's basically 12's.  then I would be looking for another job most likely.

[QCguy]

A couple things you haven't mentioned and maybe already have worked out.  Holidays, most companies only give you 8 hours of pay, are your people willing to take 4 hours of vacation?  Is the company willing to let you "bank" holiday time to be used later, and put it with vacations, each vacation day eating 12 hours.   In a 28 day month, your people will work 168 hours vs 160 on 4 10s or 5 8s,  company willing to pay you a little bonus for that 8 hours of time & 1/2?  A bonus for shift turnover time?  How you going to handle that switch of a guy from one shift to another and stay within the NRC work fatigue rules?  Or when they want someone to come in on his 5th 12 and 1/2 hr day.  How will you work out meals/ break time and stay within your state work rules?  As my grand daughter says "I'm just sayin".

[hamsamich]

concerning holidays, every plant I've been to makes you work your holiday unless you ask for that day off IF IT FALLS ON YOUR SHIFT.  they find a way to make up the time off and some places  give you banked holiday time AND pay you time and a half if you work on a holiday.

[Cathy]

I really like my 12 hour shift. I have a lot of time off. The company I work for takes all the holidays whether they fall on your shift or not and gives them back all at one time on 1/1 as vacation hours. I start the year with 104 hours of extra vacation instead of paid holidays. On a rotating shift it is easy to take off several weeks. Last year I took off 9 weeks!
My shift is 4N-3off-3D-1off-4D (10 hour training days)-3off-3N-3off-4D-7off. In a 5 week period I work 7 nights and my 7 off starts after a dayshift run and ends on nightshift so it is really a full 7 1/2 days off, no wasted time trying to get back on days for my time off. If you can tolerate the rotation, it gives you way more time off than an 8 hour shift.

[rumrunner]

I worked rotating 12s at Browns Ferry RP for about 9 years (I retired) and they still do the same schedule.  We used a modified version of the typical rotation, flipping our 4-12 dayshift week and training week of 10s.  I think we were the only department doing it that way.  The advantage was if we had no training, we could take accrued comp time or annual leave for the training week and get two-weeks off for just 40 hours of leave or comp time.  So we had 4N-3Off-3D-1Off-3N-2Off-4D-3Off-4T-7Off, then repeat.  I preferred it to rotating 8s because there were more off-days.  The rotating 8-hour schedule with 7 shifts between off-days sucks.

In my case, being a federal agency we got our holiday pay one way or another.  If the holiday fell on our shift day we had to work it (we agreed to this as a union stipulation) but this meant our holiday floated and we'd get holiday pay for what was a regular work day for everyone else.  There was a 76 hour straight time pay period in each full rotation but in our case it was off-set by the built-in overtime in the schedule, which I think was 12 hours every full rotation.

[Higgs]

I worked rotating 12s at Browns Ferry RP for about 9 years (I retired) and they still do the same schedule.  We used a modified version of the typical rotation, flipping our 4-12 dayshift week and training week of 10s.  I think we were the only department doing it that way.  The advantage was if we had no training, we could take accrued comp time or annual leave for the training week and get two-weeks off for just 40 hours of leave or comp time.  So we had 4N-3Off-3D-1Off-3N-2Off-4D-3Off-4T-7Off, then repeat.  I preferred it to rotating 8s because there were more off-days.  The rotating 8-hour schedule with 7 shifts between off-days sucks.

In my case, being a federal agency we got our holiday pay one way or another.  If the holiday fell on our shift day we had to work it (we agreed to this as a union stipulation) but this meant our holiday floated and we'd get holiday pay for what was a regular work day for everyone else.  There was a 76 hour straight time pay period in each full rotation but in our case it was off-set by the built-in overtime in the schedule, which I think was 12 hours every full rotation.

We're on that crappy 8 hour schedule. I'm pleading to go to 12s one day. We have some..., organizations..., holding us back.

Justin

[jackc]

we work 12 hr shifts 4 on 4 off its awsome you get 2 36 hr pay weeks and 2 48 hr pay weeks.

[Content1]

With 8 hour shifts you still a personal life.  With 12's you work and sleep and that is about it.  Are we so hooked to trade our life for money?  On your tombstone it may read: "worked 12 hour shifts consistently, just never got to know him."

[hamsamich]

The best shift I was ever on was 3 12s one week, 4 12s the next week.  And that was it.  Not rotating.  Days only.  Awesome!  I felt like I was on vacation all the time!

[GLW]

I'm currently in charge of putting together a proposal to switch from 8 hour shifts to 12 shifts in our security department. Our management is 100% on board with this but a lot of guys are afraid of change. I've put together a really strong proposal but what I could really use is some testimonials from others who switched from 8s to 12s, ecspecially those who initially oposed it. Let me know what were your fears before the change and what were your feelings after the change. Did it improve your work-life balance. Our proposal is for the 4on, 3off, 3on, 4 off schedule using Wednesday as the pivoting "swing" day. Whatever info you could give me would be HUGE! Thanks to all who reply, you guys (and gals) rock!

The best shift I was ever on was 3 12s one week, 4 12s the next week.  And that was it.  Not rotating.  Days only.  Awesome!  I felt like I was on vacation all the time!

Cycling through a 3On4Off/4On3Off seems pretty good, I never worked it though,...

My favorite was the 12 hour 8On6Off working through every other weekend, great for getting in games at the park during the MLB season, not so great during the NFL schedule but passable, great for fishing, great for mini-sightseeing trips, great for income enhancement, great for scheduled medical visits and outpatient services, great for scheduled vacations,...

Lousy for issues such as death in family, medical or dental emergencies, holidays (50/50 depending on when they fall),...

Then again it's been a year since the OP opened the thread, I ponder how things turned out reckon we'll never know since the OP has not checked back in as martyb25 in over a year either,...

Old threads never die, they just get necro'd,...

[Fermi2]

Fossil utility I am at is 4 on 4 off rotating

[ddickey]

The plant I work at is rotating eights.
Six days
two days off
seven evenings
48 hours off
seven nights
three days off
five reliefs
three days off then start over. A vote for twelves' will probably be coming soon.

[Graphic]

With 8 hour shifts you still a personal life.  With 12's you work and sleep and that is about it.  Are we so hooked to trade our life for money?  On your tombstone it may read: "worked 12 hour shifts consistently, just never got to know him."

True, but some people don't get a choice in the hours that are required. On top of that, none of my friends pay my bills . But I do get your point..

[Fermi2]

If you are employed at the utility you get lots of home life on 12s

[Bonds 25]

I'm literally scheduled to work half the days of the year working our rotating 12's (besides our 4-10 training week)

Throw in a bunch of PT.....doesnt look like I work very much at all 

[mars88]

With 8 hour shifts you still a personal life.  With 12's you work and sleep and that is about it.  Are we so hooked to trade our life for money?  On your tombstone it may read: "worked 12 hour shifts consistently, just never got to know him."

But you get 6 more days off per month--that's more than enough to offset your loss of a few extra 'personal life' hours on your work days.

[thenuttyneutron]

But you get 6 more days off per month--that's more than enough to offset your loss of a few extra 'personal life' hours on your work days.

In theory, Five Shift 12 hour rules are nice.  When you work about 30+ overtime shifts in a year because of covering holes on the other shifts or vacations, the 12 hour rules really are not all that great.  I just depends on how well staffed the department is.  Throw in the dreaded "24 hour turn around" many times over a year and suddenly the 12 hour rules are no better than 8 hour rules and may actually be worst.

[Fermi2]

I did 8s for 7 years. FAR worse than 12s.