Usually, most office jobs follow regular business hours, such as the standard 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. But, many businesses have to work around the clock to keep everything running smoothly.
The different types of shifts
1st shift / Day Shift
Usually same as traditional working hours: 8 or 9 a.m. until 5 or 6 p.m. Working first shift means employees get a standard workday, complete with the morning and evening commute, and evenings off.
2nd shift / Afternoon Shift
Usually goes from around 4 p.m. to midnight. This is the shift that follows right after the first shift. Second shift employees often make slightly higher money than first shift workers, because it's not easy to find people who are willing to work late.
It's also referred to as the swing shift.
3rd shift / Midnight shift
This shift comes after the second shift. Though hours may differ between companies, the third shift always starts between 10 p.m. and midnight and ends between 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Also called the graveyard shift, those who work this shift usually earns the most compared to the other shifts.
Many factories operate at night or around the clock.
Rotating shift
Rotating shifts covers a variety of work schedules and implies that shifts change according to a set schedule. These shifts can be either
continuous: running 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, or
semi-continuous: running 2 or 3 shifts per day with or without weekends.
Fixed shift rotation
A fixed shift rotation has workers that always operate on the same shift. Normally one crew works a day shift, another works an afternoon shift and a third works the night shift.
Split shift
A split shift is a type of shift-work schedule where an employee's workday is split into two or more parts. For instance, an employee may work from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., take a break until 2 p.m. and then return to work until 7 p.m.
Split shifts are popular in industries with peak hours throughout the day, such as the restaurant industry, where workers clock in for the morning or lunch rush, then clock out for the afternoon and then return in time to work for the dinner crowd.
2-2 3-2 2-3 Rotating Shift
This one is the most complicated. This shift schedule uses 4 teams () and 2 twelve-hour shifts to provide 24/7 coverage. It consists of a 2-week cycle where each team:
Works 2 consecutive day shifts followed by 2 days off duty.
Then works 3 consecutive day shifts, followed by 2 days off duty.
They will then work 2 consecutive day shifts, followed by 3 days off duty.
