Best schedule

[CorpSec]

What do people like working best? I have worked 8 hour shifts and 12 hour shifts. I actually prefer to work more days and shorter shifts. I think that will probably put me in the minority.

I feel that I stay a lot fresher during a 8 hour shift and like that I can still run a fair amount of errands during the day and still get enough sleep to be rested up for my shift. The problem with 12's is that I have found you don't have much wiggle room. If you end up having something come up or it is a hot day and you can't really sleep that well, then before you know it, you are back in the saddle for another long 12 hours.

I have never worked a 10 hour shift for any protracted amount of time, but I still feel that I would enjoy the 8 hour shift more.

Another discussion to piggy back on this is what shift hours are the best assuming the standard 8 hour shift? I have always worked nights and I like the 2200-0600 that I currently work the best, followed closely by the 2300-0700. I hate the 0000-0800.

[HotelSecurity]

I have written before that I prefer 8 hour shifts. the main reason is because I work for a very small department. If someone calls in sick at the last minute I usually have to stay. In this case I would rather work a 16 hour shift, not a 24 hour one.

As for my hours. I have worked most of my working life from 15h to 23h. I'm on call until 05h00. I tried working days last year but it was terrible. I would get woken up at 03h00 for a problem & could not go back to sleep. Now I work until 23h & stay up until 06h00.

However I'm 51 years old with a grown up daughter. The 15h to 23h shift was terrible on family life.

[OccamsRazor]

M-F, 0700-1700. Commuted by train, the station is 3 blocks from my house and 3/4 of a mile from work at the other end.

Sadly, I am stuck in 1400-2200 M-F hell now.

[Nauticus]

My favorites are the eightteen hour shifts I pull with one of my event security companies I work for.

[Andy Taylor]

I like to work four 10 hour days. Currently I work five 8 hour days. 0400-1200. It is a bit early, but it is nice to have the afternoons off. It also helps that no one in my department has to commute during peak hours. The graveyard (2000-0400 officers (myself included, when I was one) really like being able to get home and in bed before sunrise. Swing stinks though (1200-2000). It eats the whole day. Just my opinion though, some of the guys love it.

[Lawson]

I kinda like working the 12s, makes for nice long weekends. I always thought it was cool working less days a month than you work. You have to watch your OT though...

When I was in Louisiana I worked a 12, and my relief didn't show up so I volunteered to pull a double... it didn't occur to me that after that 24hrs, I would be back on duty for another 12

[Chimpie]

My fav was to work 12's. We had a rotating schedule and a weeks vacation every month. We worked on a 28 day rotation.

4 nights - 6p - 6a
4 off
3 days - 6a - 6p
3 nights - 6p - 6a
4 off
4 days - 6a - 6p
6 off

Within the 28 days you work 14, off for 14. Which also equals out to working only have the year.

[The Hussard]

the best schedule is 12 hour shift from 20:00 to 08;00

[SHART1971]

I Currently work 12's 1900 - 0700. 3 days on 4 days off and 4 days on 3 days off.

[N. A. Corbier]

I did that, only 6 to 6. I liked it alot. You arrived just in time for people to get home, and left right before most left for work. Since the "average criminal" (this is speculation, not hard fact, and may even be an urban legend) is in bed at 4 like everyone else... You have one hour for the hardcore car thieves to hit your property, then an hour to finish up reports, and go home.

The even better part was I worked 3 12s and a 6, so I has 2 hours of OT built in.

[Miguel]

In Spain the usual for sites that have 24/7/365 security is to have 8 hour shifts from Monday to Friday (6-14, 14-22, 22-6) and 12 during the weekends (6-18, 18-6), and periods when the team is short of a S/O. This is my favorite type of schedule.

I don´t like pulling 12 hours, but I don´t mind doing it 4-6 days per month, so I can have an extra weekend and still get some overtime. Problem is that the company usually makes you cover another site during your extra weekend and you end up with only 1 weekend per month that is owed by company policy.

In my current site I work 20-6 shifts from Monday to Friday and 18-6 on weekends. Better 10 than 12 I guess. But I only have a couple more days there. In my new site, it´ll be 12 hour shifts everyday (19-7). I´ll probably end up with far more overtime than I want...at least is a comfortable site, I´ve been told.

[tattedupboy]

try workng seven days a week

I can honestly say that out of everyone who belongs to this site, I probably have the most unusual work schedule. I work at a check cashing place that is open 7 days a week 365 days a year. Every morning I am there at 0630 to escort the morning shift employees inside; I stay until opening time at 0700 and then leave. On Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, I go back at 2230 and stay until closing time to escort the night shift employees back out. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, I work from 1700 until closing time (plus the half hour in the morning). When you factor in my other job (at which I work 15 hours a week), I work approximately 45 hours a week. I have not had a day off since October 22, and that was to go out of town to attend my grandmother's funeral. So much for complaining about working midnights and 12

[acula32]

Shifts

Our department runs three ten hour shifts. I have worked 8hrs, 10hrs, and 12hrs. I find that the ten hour shift works best for me and some here tend to agree.

1st = 0700-1700
2nd = 1600-0200
3rd = 2100-0700

I am currently in the 2nd shift slot. For the first four almost five years I have done the 3rd slot and liked that too. Now I am in 2nd I can't find anything different. It is a good slot.

The times I cover a 1st shift though are a little tough.

to me 12's are too long, and 8's make you work that extra day, but 10's are right in the middle.

Just my oppinion

[FrankW438]

I've worked eights, tens and twelves. Twelve hour shifts are just too long, in my opinion. By the end of the shift, you are not quite as fresh, alert and effective. You can become complacent and spend the last few hours just thinking about going off-shift. An accident is more likely to occurr then, I'd think. Has anyone seen any statistics on accident rate vs shift length?

I know that twelve hour shifts give you more days off, and does help reduce absenteeism and the resulting overtime. But at what price? If you have any kind of commute to and from work you have virtually no time for anything but eat, work, sleep, & repeat on the days you work. Not much time for family or friends.

I currently work four ten-hour shifts. I love it because I get a three day weekend, and a weekday to take care of personal business. But it's not easy to schedule a 24/7/365 operation for 10-hour shifts. It can be done, but its complicated. If I had my choice between 8, 10 and 12 hour shifts, I think I would choose 10. I worked twelve-hour shifts (6pm-6am) for a year and I wouldn't care to go back to that. I think 12's would be my last choice.


-- Frank

[Andy Taylor]

Frank:
I agree completely with the statement about 10 hours being difficult to schedule around 24/7/365 post. we have looked at it several times and realized that it just doesn't work. At least not without getting things way over complex.