We all need to rest and sleep. Science says that we need at least 8 hours of sleep every night for us to attain our optimal level. Anything less than 8 hours and a person may feel weak, lack the needed strength for the rest of the day and not think well.

What if a person needed to work at night? What if a person needed to wake himself up in order to work instead of sleeping for the rest of the night?

I took the liberty of asking a few of the Listahanan supervisors and encoders/verifiers who has had to work at night for their idea of working at the graveyard shift.

It’s all in the Mind

Some people work at night because though their body is weak, their minds push them to go through the challenges without breaking. That somehow, thinking about their motivations can bring out their energy reserves to be able to keep up with the pressures of the graveyard shift.

“Mahirap magtrabaho ng gabi kasi nga ang katawan gusto talagang magpahinga kaso kinakaya ko kasi iniisip ko na lang pamilya ko tapos siyempre para na rin sa aking personal growth,” Mr. Junel Pua, a former Area Supervisor who is currently assisting encoders/verifiers in the regional office said of how he handles the task of working at night.

The people that we surround ourselves with can be our source of inspiration, our rallying point even to move on despite the seemingly overwhelming challenges that we face.

Circle of Friends

People also choose to work at night to be able to form bonds with the people that they like to associate themselves with. They want to inspire others and share their beliefs in the hope that other people will use them positively.

“Talagang hindi biro ang magtrabaho ng gabi pero ginawa ko at patuloy kong ginagawa kasi nga gusto kong bumuo ng grupo dito sa DSWD na pwede akong mag share ng aking mga ideya at paniniwala para mabago sila at ma-impluwensiyahan ko sila sa magandang paraan,” Mr. Erik Taguiam, an Assistant Regional Information Technology Officer (ARITO) said of his motivation for working at night.

When you go out from work and you know for a fact that you have affected people in a good way, you can be rest assured that it was a fulfilling and worthwhile day. There is nothing more satisfying than to be able to share your thoughts and have others not only believe them but to manifest them in their lives as well.

Financial Security

Though the ideals that we set are more often related to the people that we are closest with, one such idea that drives people to work even at night is the chance to be financially stable. Nowadays the scarcity of jobs that people can land makes it harder for them to be financially secure so having an opportunity to work even if it means working at night is accepted more often than not.

“Ako kasi siyempre nagwowork ako para sa pamilya ko kasi kailangan talaga pero ang pinaka-motibasyon ko na sa tingin ko naman ay kaparehas ng maraming tao ay para magkaroon ng perang gagastuhin sa pang-araw-araw, para hindi laging namomroblema kung saan kukunin ang gagastuhin sa mga kailangan sa buhay,” Mr. Isidro Arthur Francis B. Geronimo, an Area Coordinator for Palanan and Maconacon,  Isabela who is currently landing a hand in the completion of the encoding part of the assessment in Field Office 2, said of his motivation to keep working at night though it may be hard physically.

Chances are Few and Far Between

Economies, not only in the Philippines but the world over are struggling to keep themselves afloat and with it the decline in the number of jobs that people can have. This problem makes people accept whatever job they can have, whatever that job requires of them. The important thing is that they can have a job that can keep them thriving. As hard as it may be to accept that fact, it is the reality that we need to live with. As they say nothing is ever easy. Everything that a person does requires effort and patience to work through.

Everything is hard before it becomes easy. The reality is that you have to work hard to learn everything you need to understand and adapt to everything as fast as possible for you to turn something hard into something that is quite easy to do.

The same is true for a night-time job. It starts with you struggling to keep your eyes open and not fall like a log to sleepiness. It starts with your body fraught to adapt to working at night. But once you learn to live with your new reality, the hardships you have will soon become stress-free. That’s the great thing about people, we struggle, we learn, we thrive. With that capability, there’s nothing more you can ever ask. ### Written by Chester Carlo M. Trinidad, Listahanan Information Officer