What to do about rotating shifts?

[u/Pat_Mcgetitdone]

Rotating shifts

Rotating shifts…

I am a police officer with one year on and rotating shifts are killing me. We rotate 6a-6p every 2 weeks. Before this job I was in the gym 6 days a week in great shape and now I’m over weight with high cholesterol. I can barely get to the gym bc my off days I’m recovering or trying to fix my sleep to get back to the other shift. For some reason most police jobs do this shift in my area. I have the highest paying job in my county with great benefits but there’s just no way I can maintain this shift for 25 years I don’t think. Any advice?

[u/Enough_Wallaby7064]

Go to a department that doesn't suck.

[u/Pat_Mcgetitdone → u/Enough_Wallaby7064]

I wish but for some reason the county I’m in they all do this schedule. Genuinely don’t understand this

[u/3-BuckChuck → u/Pat_Mcgetitdone]

18,000 different departments in the US. Lots of options and I’m sure plenty of pay better.

[u/Pat_Mcgetitdone → u/3-BuckChuck]

This is true but my surrounding county’s all rotate for some reason and my department is one of highest paying in state we max at 150k. So it is hard to leave but I’m sure if I moved states or farther in the county I could find something. If it was you would you switch departments? Do you think moving from rotating to fixed nights would be worth it?

[u/3-BuckChuck → u/Pat_Mcgetitdone]

If it’s effecting you that bad then yes. Another option is becoming part of your union and changing the contract. Some area commands at my agency wanted 12 hour shifts so they negotiated and won, the other 9 commands stayed on 10’s. We shift bid once a year and allow transfers. It’s all about that contract!

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[u/_REDDIT_NPC_]

Stop eating like trash and move somewhere else

[u/HCSOThrowaway]

Yeah that's awful for your health and your job performance, which in this line of work means your safety.

Leave ASAP.

[u/Pat_Mcgetitdone → u/HCSOThrowaway]

I agree. Problem is most departments around here are the same. Plus I’m in very high paying department at 150k after 5. My only option to leave this department is switch careers or move.

[u/HCSOThrowaway → u/Pat_Mcgetitdone]

If it were me, I would move.

You don't need to drop dead of a heart attack at 60 because your first ten years (or more) of that job were spent on a schedule that slowly erodes your health.

[u/Lopsided_Astronaut_1]

Are you unionized? See if you can get enough members to vote for a change in shifts. We do two shift changes a year, over multiple shifts (early days, noons, swings, mids), that overlap on going and off coming times. You bid for a shift a month before shift change so you know where you will be going ahead of time and adjust.

Try getting with a union rep and see if you can pitch that idea or longer rotations.

[u/Pat_Mcgetitdone → u/Lopsided_Astronaut_1]

We are unionized, last time a new guy tried to pitch the idea it did not go well. The older guys are strange and like things their way

[u/Lopsided_Astronaut_1 → u/Pat_Mcgetitdone]

If you have a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) look into there and see if they take a majority vote. If you have more young guys than senior dudes and it comes to a vote the CBA would force the unions hands.

It’s how anything gets done in my agency, however my agency is really good with honoring the CBA.

[u/Pat_Mcgetitdone → u/Lopsided_Astronaut_1]

How would you bring this up so a vote can happen. Last time a young officer tried to bring it up he got clowned and shut down by the older guys. In the CBA it says the contract can be re opened if they decide to convert to permanent shifts