I’ve worked 2nd (afternoon), swing (evening), and 3rd (overnight) shifts for the majority of my life. I recently moved into a training position where I’m Monday through Friday, 8am to ~5:30pm (I get OT while I’m cleaning up and writing reports).
As much as the 2nd/swing/3rd shifts screw with your life in other ways, the difficulty in scheduling any kind of life services outside of working hours is maddening. Doctor’s appointment? Nope. DMV? Maybe Saturday, if you’re lucky. Chaperone your kids field trip? Hahahhah no.
I don’t want to burn sick time for a doctor’s appointment (I need to save those for when my kid is actually sick), and I sure as hell don’t want to use up a “vacation” day for it. How tf are you supposed to get anything done?
I simply do not understand managers/supervisors/companies who do not realize that employees with a good life/work balance are more productive and less likely to leave. And be more expensive to replace.
I have three permanent work from home (but who come into the office for special occasions if they want) three that like to leave the jobs at the office when they go home so prefer to work in the office, and two who are a mix depending on what’s going on in their lives (both have young kids and bought houses recently).
My department is the envy of all the other exec managers; there is no gossip, no drama, no dissatisfaction. Like not bragging here, but seriously other departments point at mine and say to their boss “but they get to do that!”
But my gals and guys understand we have so much freedom specifically because we get our shit done and always cover for each other. And as long as that happens, my boss, the owner will continue to let me run my departments however I see fit.