i work in a nursery (daycare) where one week i work 8-4, the next 10-6, then back to 8-4 and so on. it’s been four months now and im still not used to this schedule.
i feel great on the 10-6. i wake up at about 8 and take my time getting ready to leave. i arrive to work in a good mood feeling energised and focused. i like the closing routine.
however when i start at 8, i drag myself out of bed at 6:30 (the latest possible time) or even sleep in and waste money on a taxi to work. i never ever get a good nights sleep. even if im exhausted enough to actually fall asleep at 10 or 9pm, i always wake up feeling so intensely miserable.
i get to work feeling like a zombie. i find it hard to talk to my coworkers. we have one child who sometimes cries when she comes in in the morning and because im so tired and miserable i genuinely come close to crying with her. i feel more irritable throughout the day and i spend my shift just waiting for 4pm. i then go home and do nothing, even often skipping essential things like preparing dinner, washing my clothes, showering. i just feel so exhausted and miserable for the entire day.
i’m planning to talk to my boss soon to ask if i can permanently do the 10-6, but im nervous and expecting to be told no. i won’t go into as much detail as i have here of course, but yeah. i’m thinking ill just say that i am struggling with sleep, and my doctor has given me a lot of advice to improve it (which is true) but i can’t fix my sleep schedule if im changing my wake up time by two hours every week. maybe emphasise how i feel a lot more energised and productive on the later shift.
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You are now aware of your needs. Though it may appear as an option, which it absolutely is, I invite you to center yourself in an energy of humility, of acknowledgement that you are worthy of being, that by attending to your individual needs you honor them.
I’m with you! I used to work in a daycare as well and much preferred the later shifts; and we used to switch daily, it was brutal on me.
I wouldn’t be so nervous to ask- there may be someone who prefers the early shifts who would be happy to permanently be on the 8-4… I had more coworkers who would have chosen the earlier shift to get off earlier in the day, where I also would always prefer to sleep in and close. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
Check if someone in the team likes 8-4 more, and then go to the boss together and propose that they do always 8-4 and you always do 10-6.
It will make it easier to get a yes because the boss will get the exact same coverage and you both get what you want.
Not a day care but I feel you with the crazy schedule. I work two 7-2am shifts a week and two 11-7pm shifts a week. And they aren’t together. My sleep schedule is INSANE. And I’ve been doing it for 7 years.
Is this common for a daycare? Asking for myself. Honestly as others suggested try to get them to permanently switch you. If they can’t I would say you need to practice waking up way earlier every day, even the days you come in at 10 unfortunately. If you have a very set schedule your body will be so used to it.
I’ve been out of work a month, and I’m still wide awake at 5am just naturally which was the time my old alarm was for.
Can you get a reasonable accommodation letter for your schedule?
Get another job, doesn’t sound like you are cut out for early starts.
I think there will be a few who prefer the early start. I sure would and my experience in offices where people can start when they want, 8-4 usually always wins.
It’s probably more working two different shifts. How are you supposed to build a circadian rhythm that way? I work 6am -2pm, at first it sucked but after a couple weeks my body adjusted. Sounds like before your body can adjust you’re swapped to an evening shift.
Agree with the others! Find someone to swap before going to your boss. Or if you go to her first, be sure to be clear about which schedule your doctor recommends. In your text, you left it vague which could result in her switching you to only 8-4!
I am sorry to be rude, but suck it up, butter cup. You can either see if they can change your schedule, you can get a new job, or you can realize that work is work and early wake ups suck.
A 10pm sleep start gives 8.5 hours of sleep. That should be more than enough for a 06:30 wake up.
Not getting the proper night’s sleep is your main issue; I suspect it’s the week-on-week-off switch that’s probably disrupting it. My Dad did this – ‘Earlies’ and ‘lates’ at a factory – except that was a 04:30 am start. He’d return home at 13:00 and head to bed at 18:00ish. He HATED doing ‘earlies’ and I think being one week on-one week off prevents the body clock from adjusting properly. Even with ‘blackout’ curtains, you can’t just put a human brain on charge in the late afternoon and expect it to be at 100% in 8 hours like a phone.
Can your employer adjust you to either being month-on-month-off or better yet; fix your shifts to a constant rota?
I can understand how factory and Hospital staff switch shifts regularly to fit life in around work. But 08:00 to 16:00 is just one hour offset from a 9 to 5. I’m guessing some of the other daycare staff need to shuffle the shifts but I’m wondering if there isn’t a few colleagues of yours who’d be happy to fix their rotas in tandem with yours, so the place still has the same staff availability even when someone wants to book some holiday.
Not sure how old you are but you need to work on starting your day earlier. I’m would say an 8am start to a workday is easily the most common and you need to be able to handle that 5 days a week to give yourself the best chance for a career that best supports you. Not saying there aren’t options at later start times, just much fewer opportunities.
Ask around to other co workers and see if they would switch with you. I know I always preferred the early shift in any job daycare, waitress etc I always liked get home earlier so I would always switch shifts with someone cause most people don’t like getting up early.
I’m sorry but this is nothing. I used to run a crazy schedule. M/730-1630, T/0300-1500, W/8-5, Th/1400-when done (can be whatever time but usually 11pm on avg., FR/0600-1400.
My schedule was like this for 4 years with some different mix ups in times here and there including adding a Sunday here and there.
You have some other issue if you are not getting quality sleep in 8 hours. I would at the very least have a discussion with your doctor on options or if there is an underlying issue