Coping with changes and staying focused.. 1

[rouge03]

I've been working for my present company for about 15 months now. But just recently, the company implemented a new scheme or strategy to somehow maximize the work output of the staff. What they did is that 2 software engineers will be sharing a PC and then hire more engineers to maximize the use of the PCs. To do that the first engineer's schedule will be in the morning (9am - 6pm) and the second engineer will be at night (9pm - 6am). The two engineers change shifts every two weeks.

Obviously, those who would have to work the night shift are at a disadvantage because of the time. I'm currently on the night shift and its very difficult to have your mind work the same way as if you were working with the sun still up. I've noticed that my productivity rate drops at around 3am onwards.

Right now, I can't resign (because there's a bond of 2 years) so I'll have to stick with the program. So I was wondering if there's anyone here who's been faced with the same situation (that is working the night shift). Maybe you can share some tips on staying awake... aside from smoking and lots of caffeine... I'm trying to kick the habit (my lungs have been smoke free for almost a month now). =p.

Thanks!

 

[LFI]

Hey! First of all, congratulations on making the decision to quit smoking. You're over that hump at Day 3, but the stress of this crazy work schedule is going to make it tough. Keep up the good work!

Can you change the schedule? Do you know what the other engineer thinks about it? Is it absolutely necessary to have an engineer on the back shift or is the schedule for the sole purpose of PC-reduction? If you both feel strongly, maybe you can present a united front and get the extra PC. Where I work, there's a PC-reduction thing going on as well, but people that REALLY need access to our site applications/Intranet are being given BlackBerrys (BlackBerries?) and we're having to re-code our web-based pages to conform to the BB Browser! That's obviously beside the point.

I have found that green tea is very helpful in keeping me awake (possibly better than coffee). You will definitely need to get up and stretch with some frequency. You might consider having a small lamp with an incandescent bulb on your desk to give you relief from the overhead flourescents. Whatever you do, avoid processed sugar. That Snickers bar might give you a moment of energy, but you will crash hard afterwards. Obviously, keep your "lunch" (or dinner or whatever you call it in the middle of the night) small. Small meals will not slow you down as much as big ones will. Bring food to snack on (popcorn, an apple, a yogurt, ...) throughout the night. Now that you've resolved to quit smoking, get some exercise into your day. Hopefully that will give you some added energy.

When I get tired at work, I walk around and drink water and just kind of keep fighting it until the moment passes. Sometimes it seems impossible and, like you describe, sometimes my productivity drops off and there's no getting it back!

I wish I had something sure-fire for you, but hopefully something in the above will be a little helpful.

Good luck!

--Dave


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O Time, Strength, Cash, and Patience!

 

[Zen37]

Am i the only one who thinks this is backwards?

Putting people around a schedule for one PC "in order to maximize the use of the PC" sound weird to me. A PC is a tool. A tool is suppose to help the productivity of a person, not the other way around.

To me, this sounds like your company puts more value on its hardware than its staff.

Anyways, i suggest green tea, do your thinking on your feet if you can, and get up and exercise when you feel yourself drifting. Thats what i did when i was a security guard.

 

[dkediger]

There might be some labor law issues involved as well if you are in the US, depending on your FLSA classification.

Essentially, if you have been classified Exempt under FLSA, they can't really dictate your working hours to that degree and maintain your exempt status. This matters to the employer as it dictates how certain employee benefits are treated for tax purposes to the corporation. A change in the engineering department's FLSA status could cost the company more money than the extra PCs cost. Your HR contact or supervisor should know your status. Probably best if you make this inquiry as a group.

If you're Non-Exempt, then you wouldn't have any leverage as far as FLSA goes.

With your "bonded" status - I assume some type of employment contract. Again, as a group, could have an independent lawyer examine the contracts to see if such a change in working hours is permitted under the agreement.

 

[rouge03]

Our company is outside U.S. =p

Since I have started working (for my present company), I have always been contemplating about the legalities or implications of that bond or how I could possibly get out of it. But I really don't mind it so much now. Especially since the experience and training I get here really pay off after those two years (plus, I only have a few more months to go).

I agree with you Zen37 about this type of setting to be backwards. For one thing, the type of work we do here requires very fast turnaround/turnover time such that engineers average 12 hours or more staying in the office to finish their tasks for the day.

Actually, I'm one of the select few who don't have to share their PCs... yet. But I still have to be on night shift, and that at the moment is my biggest dilemma.

Thanks for all the input so far on this!

 

[Dollie]

It sounds to me like they're being cheap. If you're going to maximize a person's production, you do not force them into non-standard working hours and then CHANGE those hours every two weeks. That's just crazy!

Someone needs to consider if, in the long run, is this schedule going to be more cost effective and less risky than buying one or two computers??

Sorry, but manager's who experiment on their employees with the flip flop hours, the "let's try this" scheduling attitude, and force them into constantly adjusting their sleeping schedule instead of investing a grand or two don't appear to be very professional.

/sorry, wearing my tact at the end of my sledge hammer today

 

[dkediger]

I agree on the cheap part - the only way this even approaches making sense from a productivity standpoint is if they are short on physical office space and would have people working on top of each other otherwise.

Even then, I would hope that it would be a temporary arrangement as other accomodations are secured. Otherwise, I would doubt the viability of the company as it would appear they couldn't afford expansion.

 

[rouge03]

I think the main reason for the sudden "change" in our company is that it has been getting a lot of projects lately to the point that they've ramped up the number of software engineers and analysts. The population here has doubled (or possibly more) in the last 3 or 4 months. So basically, space is one of the problems. They did acquire more PCs but it still isn't enough and we're running out of space. We sometimes joke about it here that one day of us might have to work in the bathroom or bring our own PCs to work... =p
But nothing definite yet whether or not this shifting schedule is temporary or long-term. I hope that I wouldn't be around (here) anymore when that happens.. =p.

Thanks for the inputs guyz!
This sure is keeping me awake just looking at your posts.

 

[chiph]

Especially since the experience and training I get here really pay off after those two years (plus, I only have a few more months to go).

If it's less than 4 months, maybe you can tough it out. In the meantime, start preparing the CV/Resume in preparation for a job hunt.

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
Donate to Katrina relief:

http://s1.amazon.com/paypage/PELYGQVJ8Q7IB/103-6821258-5919825

If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[jaymaechtlen]

hmmm-
so, nobody has ever worked the night shift before, or on rotating shifts?

The expense of moving to another facility is not just money- it is planning, manpower, etc.
Sometimes there is plenty of money to make it happen, other times the business just has to make the existing facility work a bit longer...
Depends on profitability, whether the workload is short-term or long, etc.

anyway- good luck with the strange hours and in your further pursuits!

 

[BocaBurger]

No one has mention that the price of a good PC these days is less than $500.00 US! Your salary must be very small to have this as a factor. I was the IT manager of a company many years ago where the bean counters were upset that the programmers were "working" while their machines were compiling code. This was in the 386 days. I solved the problem by getting them an extra keyboard. While the compile was running (often for 40 minutes) they were told to put the dummy KB in front of them and type away. Management was very impressed that I was able to increase productivity this way.

BocaBurger
<===========================||////////////////|0
The pen is mightier than the sword, but the sword hurts more!