THE TOP TEN REASONS TO WORK SHIFT WORK 

Money, get away.
Get a good job with more pay and you’re okay.

(“Money,” by Pink Floyd, 1975)

None of the below statements have been proven by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. Your Mentor has decades of experience and observation and just a gut feeling that the opinions are accurate.

1) Shift work jobs typically pay better.

Shift work assignments in remote locations pay great because they are generally located in “hardship locations” not close to the amenities and conveniences that the workers enjoy during their weeks off.

Employers are aware that it takes a quirky breed to overlook the negative aspects of remote shift work (a subject covered in the next two PTOA segments); one sure-fire way to motivate workers to keep up the good work is to provide ‘golden handcuffs.’

2) There are no guarantees in life, but shift work jobs are typically more stable, meaning not as vulnerable to the ups and downs of the economy.

The modern job description of a Process Unit Operator would fall into a “light-blue collar” classification. A modicum of brawn and physical stamina is how to get a foot in the door in the early years. Afterwards, the promotional career path prioritizes an operator’s competence in understanding and interpreting the process unit status as it is represented by a dazzling variety of digitized schematics. The senior level process unit operator is also expected to exhibit leadership while relying upon years of training and experience to solve complex problems in a heartbeat when the occasion arises.

The cost of constantly finding and re-training qualified, technically inclined people who have the skills and core competence needed to keep the processes up and running is a cost employers want to avoid. Stanley in Accounting and Janice in Human Resources have combined their efforts to churn out a Power Point presentation that proposes the optimal combination of pay and benefits to retain talented hard workers.

So even if the boom cycle starts going bust, the mid managers will be let go before the plant operators. The company would probably try to convince the process operator to take a job across the world in a very remote location before letting him/her go.

3) Commuting to shift work from a state with a low cost of living allows maximum stretching of earned wages.

4) In theory, a shift worker has more time to travel without using precious vacation time.

5) Tagging vacation time onto a normal two-week off interval can create a month-long vacation.

6) For shift workers, personal privacy is implied when off shift.

The shift worker will only get a call from the plant if s/he did not communicate well with the relief operator who replaced him or her. The Process Unit Operator is expected to be 100% alert when on shift but allowed to enjoy family or hobbies 100% of the time when off shift and away from the plant.

7) In theory, shift work allows the worker more “quality down time” when s/he is not on shift as compared to a normal 40 hour, Monday through Friday work week.

The premise of this theory assumes that the Shift Worker has the discipline to bumplessly transfer from the structure of the work site schedule into a self-imposed structured schedule while at home.

Your Mentor has observed that the highly self motivated “project type resourceful soul” that builds airplanes and boats in their garage for fun does actually shift their productivity from one environment to the other.

For all other personality types, Your Mentor has observed that it takes a few days after a long work interval to recover and a few days before an oncoming shift to get the dwelling ready for a long absence not to mention get mentally set for the oncoming shift.

8) Nobody on shift work in the industrial process industries is expected to wear a suit and tie.

The dress code at the processing plant is always “Safety Casual.”

Fire retardant work clothes (FRC) and safety boots can be purchased at the local Army Navy store if they are not issued by the employer.

For safety reasons no jewelry is allowed to be worn and long hair must be tied back before donning the hard hat so “helmet hair” is normal. Facial hair must be shaved in a manner that allows a respirator to fit tightly.

Because of working in close proximity of shift mates, good hygiene is appreciated. But otherwise, pretty much anything else goes without judgment for hard-working, knowledgeable process operators.

9) Through the years the members of a shift become a separate family unit.

All those hours spent in control rooms jawboning between task assignments cover every great and not so great idea in the book. And Your Mentor had stock in Enron and WorldCom as proof of that statement!

10) At non-boom town remote locations, room and board are provided.

The menu posted at the mess hall of the remote industrial process facility is targeted to keep workers full and happy. The contractor who has the food service duty has a vested interest in keeping workers sufficiently pleased to get his/her contract extended.

High calorie comfort food is served daily. Do not expect haute cuisine or an over abundance of organic leafy fruits and vegetables.

Before leaving for shift, lights can be turned off and thermostats can be turned down in the homes of unattached shift workers.

The combined reduction in personal living expenses effectively extends the paycheck.

 

Take Home Message: Because of their expertise and knowledge base and willingness to work shift work, most shift work jobs pay better and are more stable than jobs and careers in other sectors of the economy.

Photo credit: http://lifeonmarsimeantj.blogspot.com

 

©2014 PTOA Orientation Segment 6

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