365x24x7

Sun Apr 17 15:06:42 UTC 2011

> For what it's worth, was part of a datacenter operations department
> that
> had a 24x7 team. 4 shifts, 4 staff on each shift (1 was supervisor who
> did same work as the rest, 1 'point of contact' who stayed in the
> office).
> 4 days on, 4 days off, 12 hour shifts, 8-8. Shift teams would
> alternate
> between day and night (so 4 day, 4 off, 4 night, 4 off, repeat ad
> infinitum). During the day that was bolstered by 6 day-staff, Monday
> to
> Friday, who would have a staggered start through the day (IIRC 2 start
> at 8, 2 at 9, 2 at 11)

And also for what it's worth, my understanding of body circadian rhythm
research suggests that "every 8 days" is *WAY* too short a period to
be flipping people's shifts from day to night; every 6 months is more
reasonable.

Cheers,
-- jra