Shift work means making yourself flexible to hours day or night. Working the better and worst part of the whole 24 hours that constitutes a day on planet earth. Whether or not night shifts belong in the better or worse category remains to be seen, until of course I weigh it up in this article.
Pro- It’s more convenient
Honestly, thinking about it the world at night is a much quieter place (on the weekdays at least) and having your days free means that you can visit places when they’re actually open. This doesn’t mean just getting your shopping done when everyone else is at work, although that is excellent. You can also do fun things when it’s quiet like visit galleries or see films without the urgency of day crowds, If you can stay awake!
Con- It can be boring
Some shifts are exclusive to the midnight hours like nightclub workers, bouncers and barman. If you’re one of these then the action isn’t likely to stop until the sun rises yet working when most people are tucked up in bed is mostly an eerily quiet practice. Tasks can be completed fairly quickly without the general buzz of human activity but that buzz is often what motivates you and being bored can often lead to feelings of loneliness.
Pro- More Job Opportunities
Working odd hours like when it gets dark means that you can focus the time you do have off to forming a career path you actually want to be on, if that’s what you’d like. Obviously you can dedicate your time purely to working nights if its something that suits you but more often than not the ambitions of these workers trumps their legitimate work schedules. Daylight hours bring more opportunities for the simple reason that there are more people awake.
Con- Lack of Sleep
Nights are synonymous with sleep. If you work during them you may not get enough of it. These assumptions are mostly correct due to the fact that human beings require darkness and peace in order to get sleep. It is possible for you to adapt your sleep schedules and become a nocturnal animal its just much more damaging for your health and the quality of sleep that you’ll actually get will be much worse than if you were getting your forty winks at night.
Pro- Less Competition
When it comes to shift work there is likely to be less competing for hours. This is a generalization. If you want the night shift over the day shift, you can probably get it. Of course this depends on where you work and what you do. Unless you are a master timetabler, as a boss you are likely to leave some members of staff disappointed. If you find yourself drawing the short straw in terms of hours, try working nights as the shifts are less popular because of the drawback I’ve already mentioned.
Con- Lack of Access to Food
Food access is limited at night for obvious reasons. You are likely going to be stuck with the all night garage or a 24 hour McDonalds if there happens to be one nearby. Perhaps you’re lucky and your canteen is 24-hour. Hospital workers may have an advantage here. Still, eating at night much like sleeping during the day can be disruptive to your body’s natural functions. Night work often involves a higher security risk and leaving work or your desk is unhelpful. Breaks therefore, may be harder to come by.
