Need a simple clear explanation of how 4 x 12 night shifts with 4 days off translates to a 42 hour 7 day week

Question

We work 4 x 12 hour shifts (nights) and 4 nights off. Currently we are paid a 40 hour week, but I am positive we are working an equivalent of a 42 hour week . Have tried to explain to management using calculations but just cannot seem to get through to them. They talk about counting all our hours up over the year, can anybody help with a simple explanation of how to work it out. thanks Steve

We work 4 x 12 hour shifts (nights) and 4 nights off (8 days). Currently we are paid a 40 hour week, but I am positive we are working an equivalent of a 42 hour week . Have tried to explain to management using calculations but just cannot seem to get through to them. They talk about counting all our hours up over the year, can anybody help with a simple explanation of how to work it out. thanks Steve
P.S. Don't worry about meal breaks etc. they are paid breaks.

Answer 1

I'm with you - that's equivalent to a 42-hour week. Management probably doesn't see it that way because it's in their interests not to. One way to figure it is to look at how many hours you work in 56 days. This is 8 7-day weeks or 7 8-day cycles. You work 336 hours in every 56 days, while someone on a regular 40-hour week works 320 hours in the same period of time. Even if you get 10 paid holidays (120 hours) a year you still work an extra 70 hours a year.

But since management says it works out over a year, the proper comparison is to look at how many hours you work in a year, allowing for paid holidays and vacations and compare that to a comparable normal schedule. With a 40-hour week, a year with two weeks paid vacation and 10 holidays comes to 1928 or 1920 actual working hours, depending on how the weekends fall.

Answer 2

Nope.

Unless you get time off for mealbreaks (unpaid) you are working a 42 hour week.

Your shift pattern works out evenly over 8 weeks.

You do 7 x 48 hours in that time. = 336 hours

divided by 8 weeks = 42 hours

Get on to the union!

Edit..

If you are paid through your breaks then it is a 42 hour week you are doing. I put it on a spreadsheet to check my findings, I'd do the same if I was you. The management are chancing it!

Answer 3

? I dont know. Four 12 hour shifts are 48 hours, so even if you have an hour break you are working 44 hours?