It's 1 am and you are sleeping. You have to get up in about 4 hours to go into work at an industrial mill where you work in the shipping department. Your phone rings. Who the heck could be calling at 1 o'clock in the frelling AM? You answer, "Hello?" It's a friend of yours, a neighbor who works the night shift doing security at the mill where you work. "I can't get to sleep," she tells you as you struggle comprehend. WTF?
This actually happened to someone I work with at the plant, which is a 24/7 operation, this week. She works in the shipping department and got called at 1am by one of our SOs, a friend of hers, who was working the night shift. The SO was calling to complain that she was unable to get comfortable enough to sleep on duty.
This SO is on of our "problem children" who for some reason hasn't been fired by the Security Supervisor or our company. While most us make an effort to follow the rules and stay alert on shift, she comes to work ready to sleep. There is no attempt to be subtle about it either. She puts her feet up in the guard shack, puts a pillow under her back and pulls a jacket over her as she sits at the desk at the front gate. Due to her rank/pay she's the shift supervisor for that site when she's on duty. So what she does her SOs under her do? Same as her, sit in a corner and nod off. She's actually told the plant saftey manager, the guy who decides whether we keep our contract there or if they bring in another WBS company, "Sure I sleep on duty sometimes."
For some reason they keep her on the payroll. Meanwhile the rest of us who work security there get to deal with her problems. Since she's not shy about crashing out and refuses to even do security patrols the rest of us have to deal with the morale busting attitude of,- "if she doesn't have to do this and can sleep on duty why are the rest of us required to do our rounds and stay awake".
It isn't restricted to just the SOs being aware of this. Most of the plant assumes that since she's so blatently sleeping that we all are and that it's accepted. I've had plant employees ask me about why they always see the SO making rounds in the patrol vehicle or even me in the EMT van making rounds on my shift when the other shift never leaves the guard shack. I've been called to the medical clinic to treat a sick employee who apologized for "disturbing my rest".
He was suprised that not only was I not "resting" but that when he called I was on patrol in the plant as I often am.
On my shift I'm shift supervisor and for our 12 hours we don't sleep. We make rounds, do our chores and make a few more rounds just to keep busy somethimes. We don't sit in the guard shack all evening watching DVD movies or TV. We are allowed to bring a book to read as long as we are able to keep answering the phones, watch the monitors and check in visitors without being distracted. No problem there. I read some when it's slow and everything is caught up.
Just because it's dark outside doesn't mean the plant sleeps and neither should the Security staff.
Anyone else have to deal with this sort of thing?
rant off

This actually happened to someone I work with at the plant, which is a 24/7 operation, this week. She works in the shipping department and got called at 1am by one of our SOs, a friend of hers, who was working the night shift. The SO was calling to complain that she was unable to get comfortable enough to sleep on duty.
This SO is on of our "problem children" who for some reason hasn't been fired by the Security Supervisor or our company. While most us make an effort to follow the rules and stay alert on shift, she comes to work ready to sleep. There is no attempt to be subtle about it either. She puts her feet up in the guard shack, puts a pillow under her back and pulls a jacket over her as she sits at the desk at the front gate. Due to her rank/pay she's the shift supervisor for that site when she's on duty. So what she does her SOs under her do? Same as her, sit in a corner and nod off. She's actually told the plant saftey manager, the guy who decides whether we keep our contract there or if they bring in another WBS company, "Sure I sleep on duty sometimes."

For some reason they keep her on the payroll. Meanwhile the rest of us who work security there get to deal with her problems. Since she's not shy about crashing out and refuses to even do security patrols the rest of us have to deal with the morale busting attitude of,- "if she doesn't have to do this and can sleep on duty why are the rest of us required to do our rounds and stay awake".
It isn't restricted to just the SOs being aware of this. Most of the plant assumes that since she's so blatently sleeping that we all are and that it's accepted. I've had plant employees ask me about why they always see the SO making rounds in the patrol vehicle or even me in the EMT van making rounds on my shift when the other shift never leaves the guard shack. I've been called to the medical clinic to treat a sick employee who apologized for "disturbing my rest".

On my shift I'm shift supervisor and for our 12 hours we don't sleep. We make rounds, do our chores and make a few more rounds just to keep busy somethimes. We don't sit in the guard shack all evening watching DVD movies or TV. We are allowed to bring a book to read as long as we are able to keep answering the phones, watch the monitors and check in visitors without being distracted. No problem there. I read some when it's slow and everything is caught up.
Just because it's dark outside doesn't mean the plant sleeps and neither should the Security staff.
Anyone else have to deal with this sort of thing?
rant off
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