Hey everyone!
June 29, 2017 1:52 pm Leave your thoughts
So, these last few weeks I’ve been working like crazy picking up some extra shifts and working on my own crew (it almost feels like I’ve spent more time at the mill than at home), and I thought it would be a perfect time to do a little review of the positives and negatives of working a shiftwork schedule. Just for reference, on the pulp side of Millar Western we run 24/7 all year, and our shifts are 12 hours and basically go 2 or 3 days on -> 24 hours off (changeover) -> 2 or 3 nights on -> 4 or 5 days off.
Positives
- DAYS OFF. There is no better feeling in the world than knowing you have a 4 or 5 day weekend every time you’re off. No one ever really understands this until it’s Sunday night and your parents and friends are all getting ready for work in the morning and it hits you that you have 2 more days off. It’s awesome.
- The 12-hour shift. Contrary to some people’s opinions, I don’t mind working a longer shift. I almost feel that if you’re gonna already be at work, you may as well commit the whole day to working.
- Nightshifts. There’s a couple things about nightshift that I really enjoy. One is that it’s a little less hectic around the mill. It gives everyone time to get some cleanup done and work on projects for the next day. The second is how well you get to know your crew. When it’s not super busy the guys are always happy to show, and explain how the mill actually works.
Negatives
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6am. I’m sure the rest of the students can attest, waking up for day shifts is a grind. It really makes the dreaded 8am lectures at school seem like a dream, and makes me thankful for coffee. Welcome to the real world, right?
– (On a side note, the mill has a fun un-written rule where if you come in late you owe the rest of the crew donuts, so some mornings are better than others)
- The second day nightshift hangover. Everyone I’ve talked to handles the days after a nightshift differently. For me personally I get the second day hangover, meaning I can usually power through the first day off just fine but it’s the second day when you feel like you just got hit by a bus. Its best to do simple tasks on this day because frustration comes easily.
(My new camera came in this week, (Thanks FPAC!) so I thought I would test it out at work. These bucks were a bit camera shy)