Is there a word for something like free time privilege? Where the whole world seems to assume that, if you work, you work 8am-5pm or so, and you have evenings and weekends free? That only underclass people work odd hours, and instead of working around your hours, it's up to you to find a "better" job with hours that conform to *their* schedule? Especially if they also demand evening/weekend services.
I just see all the time people saying odd hour jobs are bad for you, often mentioning mental health specifically, and the only option to address it is to recommend changing jobs, which helps(?) that individual but it's still a zero sum game. There's a lot of social isolation, yes, but I've never seen anyone suggest we as a society stop forcing a "normal" workday as a way to address it.
@Mycroft Grr, the more I think about it the angrier I get.
It's better for me now so I shouldn't complain too much, but I remember having so much trouble when I worked 3rd shift. Like I know part of the reason it's like this is that normal and predictable business hours make things convenient. You know when to call to make appointments and such.
But that just means the people doing those non-business-hour jobs are left out. Trying to be awake during normal business hours to call a doctor or schedule an interview or *anything* was such a disruption.
It's like they forget we're people and just want us to function magically and invisibly.
Ok one more on "normal" hours and then I have to force myself to go to sleep.
And that's...basically the thing. I *like* nighttime hours. I've been able to adjust to daytime hours because that's the job that hired me, but I liked working at night and the relative solitude that came with it. I'm a night person. It's really hard for me to make myself to go bed before about 2 am. My body and brain just do not want to do it.
But I have to, to take part in these "normal" hours and do my job safely. And the fact that it makes all my doctor visits and other appointments easier helps. But I wish there was more variety and not such a stark separation.