What's the worst shift you've ever worked?

[PrincessKitty1]

C'mon, all you shift workers. What's the worst shift you've ever worked?

Back when I worked prn at my hospital, I worked a few doubles from 3 PM to 7 AM. But by far the worst shift I've ever had to work was from 3 AM to 3 PM on weekends (at the same hospital). On weekdays my shift worked 7 AM to 3:30 PM, but then we turned around and came in at 3 AM Saturday morning to do the first of two 12-hour weekend shifts.

There is something truly horrible about getting up at 2 in the morning after getting home at 4 PM--I would basically go back to work with virtually no sleep. Then I'd have to be all bright and perky when patients started to wake up around 6 AM, and would have to stay alert until 3 PM.

Torture! In the 2 years I worked that shift, I had to call in sick a few times because I wasn't sure I was safe to work (being so tired).

 

[I'mNoPrince]

once every 10 weeks we rotate I have to work an Oncall shift from 8:00am Sat morn. until 6:00am Mon . 46 hours of pure misery you can't really get any sleep because you waiting to just wakeup and go out.

Then to top it off we still have to be back on the road to start our normal shift at 8:00am Monday morning as well.

 

[Pop Daddy]

I worked the graveyard shift in the Navy for a while,11 p/m till 7a/m, the work was good, no one was around, but I hated trying to go to sleep ealry in the a/m, I felt like a vampire

 

[Allison]

I occasionally worked the 5 pm to 3 am shift as a waitress on the weekends. It was mainly when the Big 10 school I attended had home football games so all the customers were pretty much drunk. What a joy that was. It was fun to do that on the weekend and then be back in class at 7:30 am on Monday.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

I once worked a shift at AKL that was from 10 p.m. to 5 p.m. the next day. I've never drunk so much coffee in my life!

 

[miss missy]

8am-5pm... HATE IT!! I hate the hours and the office madness. I love 3rd shift 11pm-7am best!

 

[ilovepcot]

I just can't work first shift. An alarm clock isn't my friend. I hear one go off and it's sooo hard to not throw it up against a wall! I function much better at night, so I was always so glad to work second or third shift. Got to see so much more excitement in the ER, too.

 

[Beca]

Not really a "shift", but when I was a flight attendant I lived on the west coast, and often got overnights on the east coast. There was one trip I used to get that was Portland-Orlando. I lived in AZ, and would have to set my alarm at 3:30 the first morning, then Portland was an hour later, so I would get to sleep in until around 6:00 the next morning (my time). Then, we had the first departure in the nationwide system in Orlando. I would set my alarm for midnight my time. I was home before noon the next morning, but I would be SOOO whacked...I would often sleep until 7 or 8 at night...then, I was TOTALLY off for the rest of my days off. It was crazy!!

 

[frndofpooh]

I agree about the 3a.m.-3p.m. shift being the worst - when I worked in the hospital we only had to do that one if someone became ill during their night shift and boy was it the worst!!!

Second place for me would be the 3p.m.-3a.m. shift. The best was 7p.m.-7a.m.!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

In my youth I temped at a chain toy store one Christmas season. Wall-to-wall customers so thick that it took 15 minutes to get back to the breakroom, and by then I was late to get back to the register! Some customers would actually dump their very young children in one aisle and shop elsewhere in the store. Others would let their older kids get on the bikes and other ride-on toys and careen through the store, crashing into other customers. It was a complete zoo!

I worked 4 days a week, from about 4:00 or 5:00pm to midnight, but the week before Christmas I think we were open until 2:00a.m., then cleaning up and re-stocking shelves until 4:00a.m.

Ever since that experience, I NEVER go near a toy store in December!

 

[DisneyBlonde]

My first job out of college was in the management program for Friendly's Restaurants. The bad thing about it was that you would have to work all different shifts, sometimes 5 to close one night (getting home about 12:30 am), then start at 6 am the next day. Being the delicate princess that I am I only lasted 4 months.

 

[spazzyjazzy]

When I worked at Kmart oh so long ago, I worked my normal shift 2-10:30 pm and then they asked me to stay for an overnighter to get ready for inventory. I said yes like an idiot.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

i'm happy i don't have shift work. but my DF this past week had to work three 12 hours shifts. from 3am-3pm and it was horrible for him. he really didn't say much(he doesn't usually complain about things) but he fell asleep a few times at around 5 and his eyes were blood-shot and he just looked exhausted. i felt so bad for him, and so angry at his work for doing it.

next week he has to work 10 hours shifts.......but it's not as bad as 12. he'll get more sleep. i think he got a total of 7 hours of sleep while on those 3 12 hour days.

 

[schnerk]

The worst was while I was throwing bags for a major airline. I was very low on the shift bid chart, and got myself in a real pickle. My orriginal shift was from 7 PM until 2 AM. I emptyed a couple of planes and then cleaned them afterwards. I also signed up to work an extra night shift to get some cash. This was from 3 AM untill 9 AM. What I hadn't counted on was the new shifts kicking in that second day. My new shift was 9:30 until 2:30. Around 1 the station manager found me and sent me home for safety reasons. Total count, 13 hours of physical labor. I slept in my car in the parking lot. No fun!

 

[DizznyChick]

i work from 7pm until 7am fri sat sun
my schedule is so screwed up from taking naps
and being up all night

 

[katerkat]

I liked both shifts, but combined they were terrible. Anywhere from 8-9 am and 5-10 pm reporting, and 4 pm to 1 am designing for a newspaper. Somedays I'd get home at 2 am and need to be at an 8 am meeting that day. But when it worked (report MTuW, design ThF), it was a good schedule. It just didn't always work out that way!

 

[LadyBears]

My worst was when I was working as an EMT - 3 days on, 3 days off: 7a-7p, return next morning do 7a - 7 a (yes, 24 hour shift!), then be back to do 7p-7a. I never knew if I was coming or going regardless if it was my day to work or not! The only good thing was that only during the 24 hour shift, if it was slow it was ok for us to sleep (or should a say, take a 2 hour nap? ) - but, like a firefighter, when the bell rang - you left. Nothing like walking around with bedhead, pillow face & smudged makeup! Thank god for a partner who was sweet enough to drive to the call so I could put my hair up in a pony tail & use the mirror just long enough to make sure I didn't look like a racoon!

Needless to say NEVER - did I say NEVER? - EVER again! When I was offered a "promotion" to a M-F 7a-4p position, I think I said yes before the offer was finished being offered!

 

[DisneyCP2002]

Let's see the ever so fun WDW grad nights. I worked regular shift 3 to 10 pm then go grab new costume and eat. I then would work 11 pm to 5 am. Those were long nights and luckily I was usually off the next day but one time I wasn't.

 

[Glendamax]

Once I worked 2pm to 10:30pm. I thought this would be perfect because I would not be sleepy going into work, but it felt as if I was there ALL DAY.

Then I worked 5am to 1pm. I thought this would be great because I could do stuff when I got off. But since I had to get up at 3:30am, by the time I got off, I was WIPED OUT!

Now I work midnight to 8am. It isnt that bad, but it is weird going to sleep at 2pm.

So I guess 5am to 1pm was my worse. I never got anything done!

 

[yearbook50]

Right now, 315am to 4:30pm because of stupid black friday.

Oh and having that shift be in Home Theatre even though I"m only trained in Appliances, Customer Service and Wireless. (I only work Appliances though)