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 work 6 to 2. If I need to take a couple hours for a medical, family issue or car appointment, then I let my boss know and he says it’s okay. I’m usually able to schedule things so that I put appointments and so on when I don’t have big meetings. So long as the work gets done it’s cool.
If I’m feeling rotten, I phone in and say I’m either too sick to work or that I’ll WFH that day.
Of course, if I have a big vacation planned then I will put in for leave. I get 25 days off a year.
25 a year sounds like a dream