Experimental four-day workweek proving successful

ChildofLight

Well-Known Member
The 4 day week will work for some people and others not so much. It would be very difficult for us that have farms and livestock to tend. It also makes it difficult for us caregivers that are already exhausted in a 5 day work week. When one works, have livestock and is a caregiver it is totally overwhelming. Been there and done that before I retired.
 

cheeky200386

Well-Known Member
I think the type of job someone has would be a big factor in willing to work long hour days. When I was a Marine Drill Instructor, when I had a platoon of recruits, I worked 15 hour days for 11 weeks. During those 11 weeks, I would get every other Sunday off as my only days off. The work was physical and demanding, but I loved it so the long hours was not too hard. If I had a job I hated, or was too physical, a few extra hours a day could be a problem.
That's so true. I had a volunteer position as data entry for a psychiatrist. I loved it! I would get lost all day just reviewing and entering information. 8 hours just flew by. When I worked in retail as a college student, 3 hours was too much. It was grueling.
 
Many years ago I worked for a contractor installing underground power lines for FPL. Our regular schedule was four 10 hour shifts. I absolutely loved having Fri, Sat, and Sunday off every weekend.

The biggest problem for us would be the workload. We frequently worked five, six, and even seven 10 hour shifts in overtime. The work itself was physically exhausting. We would go several months on four 10s, then we’d go several working overtime. The extra money was great, but feeling like a zombie from zero rest and recovery was horrible. I worked those shifts for several years. It would make you extremely grateful for the four 10’s.

When I swapped back to the overhead distribution power line crew we went back to five 8 hr. shifts and I hated it.
 

Ghoti Ichthus

Pray so they do not serve alone. Ephesians 6:10-20
Older workers have a tough time with 10 and 12 hour shifts.
Also people with some disabilities.
And people care-giving for elderly without any help.

:eek I'm all of the above :eek


(it's a sleep issue)

and whoever invented rotating shifts should have a special space in Hell :tapping
 
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Ghoti Ichthus

Pray so they do not serve alone. Ephesians 6:10-20
Better than some of the alternatives. At least being on General's staff usually keeps you away from bullets... usually, but can't get in to that... Working those long days every day without a break... it doesn't really matter what you're doing... it'll break you down... at least it did me. I don't remember which one of those deployments left me a hollowed out human being... that only happened once and since I don't remember which deployment that was I don't remember what was different about it, if anything, when compared to the other deployments.

Very likely lack of quality (including REM sleep interruptions) and/or quantity of sleep, and/or mismatched sleep time versus your circadian rhythm. Sleep deficit, especially when coupled with stress, can actually kill. It can also cause mental and physical illness, psychic trauma, etc. Some people never recover.

Rotating or oscillating shifts, varying sleep start and stop times (even 30 minutes difference can do it), temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, vibration, motion, noise, odors, stress, spiritual distress, cleanliness/hygiene, diet, hydration, medications (including prophylaxis), rapidly changing daylight lengths, lack of sunlight exposure (especially if it leads to a serious Vitamin D deficiency), etc. can all affect sleep. Also changes in time zones, crossing the International Dateline enough times in both directions over a relatively short period of time and being forced to adapt daily activities, or even "just" the change to or from daylight savings time. Once someone's internal clock gets off-kilter enough and the stressors and sleep deprivation continue, and the sleep debt gets large enough, getting back to "normal" can take a long time or sometimes never, especially if no help and/or insufficient time for rest/recovery. If insufficient time for rest/recovery before the next abuse, the sleep debt carries over and the person has even fewer reserves upon which to draw.


I ran into this, and it is only by the Grace of God that I am still here. Scary to think about what I was entrusted with and at the same time so sleep deprived I was hallucinating on and off duty :eek :eek: Got ridiculed and threatened when I asked for help, too.

:fearThe nightmares were so bad I was afraid to sleep :yikes even though I desperately needed it, and when I did, I'd pass out for a few minutes at a time and then wake up falling in a nightmare. No drugs or alcohol. Even if I had wanted to self-medicate, there wouldn't have been any time to do so.
 
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