The original idea for this post came from a past article I wrote regarding things that always seem to happen when you have a spouse working night shift. The response was overwhelming (in a good way) and many of you asked for pros and cons of night shift vs. day shift, so here we are.
Shift rotations are tricky, for sure. What works for me may not work for you and your family. In addition, your shift preference may change depending on what season of life you are currently going through. When thinking about day shift vs. night shift keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all.
Many officers can not pick their shift rotation especially early on in their career. Instead, their shifts are assigned.
With that in mind, I wanted to write this post so that you can more-so focus on the pros (and positives) about each shift and how those dynamics can work for your family.
Pros and cons to day shift vs night shift as a law enforcement family:
Dayshift Pros:
-Having your spouse off at night and not having to adjust to an opposite schedule.
-Feeling slightly like other 9-5ers in the world with respect to your schedule.
-Having your spouse (usually) home for dinner and other evening events.
Dayshift Cons:
-What your officer experiences during dayshift can be drastically different compared to what they experience working on night shift. Many officers enjoy working night shift and want to experience that at some point in his/her career. They may *want* to experience night shift *but* not want to disrupt the family schedule; this can be a tricky one.
Nightshift Pros:
-Having time together during the day when everyone else is working. This can be great if you are off from work during the day or need to schedule appointments. You can go to lunch or shopping with hardly any crowds around which many officers appreciate.
-TV, bed, etc are allllll YOURS. This can be glorious once in a while especially after a long day.
-Friend/family time. Before kids, I used the time when my husband was sleeping during the day or working in the evenings, to catch up with friends and family. That way it never got in the way of our time together.
-More money. SOME departments offer night shift differential meaning larger paychecks.
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Nightshift Cons:
-Having opposite schedules. If you work during dayshift hours, then this can be the biggest con.
-Everyone and their mother gives this crazy look when they hear your spouse works night shift. Like “oh wow, that must be horrible”.
-Keeping kids quiet when your spouse has to sleep during the day. However, in all honesty, I gave up on this one. When I ask them to be quiet, they get louder- so we buy sound machines and ear plugs.
-Trouble sleeping alone. This could be for either spouse but this also doesn’t happen to everyone.
The truth is: there are many pros and cons that impact each shift, too. Remember to do what works best for your family and try to embrace the positives as best as you can.
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[…] say “at some point” because with our spouse’s schedules, you could celebrate the week before, the day before or day after, or the weekend after, depending […]