Police: How Do You Adjust To Changing Work Schedules?

Question

If you are on-duty during the day this week and nights next week, how do you adjust to your work schedule?

How do you adjust your sleep patterns to your work schedules? Do you get any good quality sleep? And do you sometimes get your days mixed up?

Answer 1

My hours don't change.  I work 1830-0555.  I works 5 days on, 5 off, 4 on, 4 off, 5 on, etc, etc.

Answer 2

IT takes a little time but you do eventually adjust to it, and if you can't you find a day job in the service.

I spent 7 years as a uniformed officer, and 1 week in 5 was night work. I still do 1 week of night work just not so often and this can throw me out for a little while but you soon re-adjust.

Our rostering is that if you do your week of night work you have 6 days off after (for that reason.... so that you can re-adjust

Answer 3

More and more departments have recognized this in the last 10 years and have been using permanent shifts, 10 hr shifts or 12 hours shifts.

My Dept uses the 12 hr and this is the duty cycle - repeating every two weeks.

Week 1

M  T  W  R  F  S  S

W  W O  O W W W

Week 2

M  T  W  R  F  S  S

O  O  W W O  O  O

As you can see you actually have two different night shifts and two seperate day shifts.  This maximizes manpower - putting more guys/gals on the street at one time.

The 10 shift is also goo for the guys - but not so good for the agency.

The 12 hr shift is divisable by 12 and the ten is not - and the dept looses some valuable patrol time - unless you use your overlap day for a Saturday - but few do.

The 8hr rotating shift is about over with - or at least fading.