Oct 22, 2026 · 21 min · 10 segments
Text me what you thought of the show 😊 # **The Funny Side of Shift Work: Things Only Shift Workers Understand** If you've ever woken up and had…
Roger SutherlandHost
Let's start with what day is it? Let's start with the one that I reckon just about every shift worker will recognise.

You wake up, you look at the clock, and for a few seconds you have absolutely no idea what day it is.

Sometimes you even look at it and you think, is it AM or is it PM? Is it Monday, Thursday, Saturday? God, am I supposed to be at work? Have I just finished nights? Wait a minute, am I on afternoon shift today? And then you reach for your phone to work it all out.

Now, for someone working Monday to Friday, the week has a very, very predictable rhythm.

But when you work shift work, Particularly in frontline health or emergency services, those days mean absolutely nothing.

And sometimes you find yourself having to check your roster, not only to find out what day it is, but what you're supposed to be doing.

Now, I reckon shift workers have a completely different relationship with the calendar.

We don't ask, what day is it? We ask, am I working? And that's all that really matters.

I remember when I worked at the canines, I was on call and I can honestly remember coming home, going to bed and next minute the phone is ringing and I could hear it ringing and I would think, what is going on here? And I realised then it's the phone, I'm on call.

I can tell you As long as I'm standing here telling you this story today, I will kid you not that I remember being called out at the canines one day, jumping in the car, getting dressed, getting organised, jumping in the car, screaming off and getting about five blocks away and remembering I'd forgotten to grab the dog.

I also know handlers that have turned up at a job on a call out and they've left their dog at home.

Let's start with what day is it? Let's start with the one that I reckon just about every shift worker will recognise.

You wake up, you look at the clock, and for a few seconds you have absolutely no idea what day it is.

Sometimes you even look at it and you think, is it AM or is it PM? Is it Monday, Thursday, Saturday? God, am I supposed to be at work? Have I just finished nights? Wait a minute, am I on afternoon shift today? And then you reach for your phone to work it all out.

Now, for someone working Monday to Friday, the week has a very, very predictable rhythm.

But when you work shift work, Particularly in frontline health or emergency services, those days mean absolutely nothing.

And sometimes you find yourself having to check your roster, not only to find out what day it is, but what you're supposed to be doing.

Now, I reckon shift workers have a completely different relationship with the calendar.

We don't ask, what day is it? We ask, am I working? And that's all that really matters.

I remember when I worked at the canines, I was on call and I can honestly remember coming home, going to bed and next minute the phone is ringing and I could hear it ringing and I would think, what is going on here? And I realised then it's the phone, I'm on call.

I can tell you As long as I'm standing here telling you this story today, I will kid you not that I remember being called out at the canines one day, jumping in the car, getting dressed, getting organised, jumping in the car, screaming off and getting about five blocks away and remembering I'd forgotten to grab the dog.

I also know handlers that have turned up at a job on a call out and they've left their dog at home.
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