One of the things that I have learned from working (even in a job that you like) is that the days you have off are just as important as the days that you are at work.
At the beginning, you might want to work as much as your employer will allow–simply because you like your job, you want overtime, or both.
That’s the trap into which I fell when I started working shifts in the ER. We are open 24/7… never closed. Heck, even Wal-Mart closes on Christmas day! There are very few places which are truly 24-hour operations, and need a full staff for all 24 of those hours.
Shift work is tough by itself, especially when those shifts are 12 hours each. Think about that: in a 24-hour day, 12 of those hours, or 50% of your time, are spent at work. Add in another 30 minutes to cover the drive to and from work, and you have a huge chunk of your time that is consumed by your employment and those necessary functions surrounding it. When you get home at the end of a 12-hour shift, you still have to perform those necessary life tasks, like taking a shower, eating, running by the store, and even sleeping–something that all too often is neglected. The rest of your time is spent horizontally–trying to sleep, that is, which is not as easy as it may seem, especially if your 12-hour shifts happen to be those that run from evening to morning. A good set of light-blocking curtains is a great investment.
All of that makes for a really busy schedule. Wake up, eat, drive to work, work, drive home, eat, shower, and sleep. Wash, rinse, repeat. Especially if shifts are back-to-back. Of course, it’s nice to have end-on-end night shifts, because you lose a day when going back on the schedule on which the rest of the world lives.
The issue arises when your employer has a staffing crunch for whatever reason: a large influx of patients, too few employees, or call-ins, among others. This leads to open shifts for which naïve staffers can sign up, adding to their workload, but also to their bottom line. Both sides win, right? The employee gets an extra shift, probably with overtime, and the employer has the spot filled.
But do you as the employee really win? Is your wage/overtime enough to compensate you for your lost time off? Let’s take a quick economic peek at this conundrum by using marginal cost–one of my favorite tools to weigh nearly any decision. In this case, it’s tough to put numbers to it, but it is a fascinating thought experiment that can net you an answer when trying to make up your mind.
Say you get paid $10 an hour to do your job. Early on your day off, say at 6:00 in the morning, your employer calls you asking you to come in at 7:00a because someone phoned in sick. Your pay for the shift before taxes and deductions will be $120. Is it worth it to you to go in? Would you have to cancel plans with your family or friends? Is that monetary benefit more than you would get from a day of relaxation? Maybe, or maybe not.
Let’s throw a monkey wrench into the works and make this a bit more interesting. Since you already have 40 hours that week, the entire 12-hour shift will be overtime, or $15 an hour. 12*$15=$180. Is it worth it to you now? That’s 50% more than you usually make in a shift. It certainly sweetens the pot, but is it enough to entice you to abandon your previous plans and trudge in to work?
Of course, there is no universal solution to this dilemma. You also have to factor in the “brownie points” that you would potentially receive for being the person to come in so your coworkers don’t have to work short when someone calls in sick.
It’s a no-brainer, though, if you were doing something that day that would net you $600. Your employer calls you offering overtime, but you still would be forfeiting $420 to go in to your job.
Your job is important, especially in these times when many people are unemployed. However, your time off is equally important, if not more so. Being away helps to energize, empower, and eliminate burnout.
Only you can make the call when you get the call.
Do you work to live, or live to work?
