What Hours Do Electricians Work? (What to Expect)

Almost all electricians are full-time workers. Evenings and weekends may occasionally be included in the workweek. Electricians are also notorious for working overtime to bring home some extra income. But, in terms of the “standard package deal,” what typical work hours should you expect as an electrician?

Electricians, like most other full-time workers, typically work 40 hours per week. Most electricians begin their workday at 7 a.m. and finish at 3 p.m. However, each electrician and employer may have their own set of routines, with different schedules and overtime requirements.

Okay, so you’ve decided you want to be an electrician and are curious about the hours we typically work. In this article, I will explain how many hours an electrician works on average. Electricians work on a variety of schedules. However, there are definitely some hours that electricians work more than others.

How Many Hours Do Electricians Work a Week?

Are you a night owl or a morning person? I can already tell you that if you fall into the latter category, you will find it much easier to become an electrician. Despite the fact that electricians work 40 hours per week, they do not typically arrive at “the office” at the same time as most people in other professions.

Getting right to the point, electricians work 40 hours per week or 8 hours per day. Most electricians work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., but they can also work at other times depending on the work tasks and your employer’s requirements. Electricians are also well-known for working overtime, which can significantly increase the average workweek. In this article, I’ve written more about overtime work for electricians, so you can learn more about what to expect, what it pays, and your rights as an employee.

In this next part, I will give you some answers coming from no less than 406 electricians who decided to participate in a survey. Even though electricians work full-time like the general population, being an electrician does, in most cases, does not fall into the standard job category of working 9 to 5.

Getting up early has been one of the best, but also one of the most difficult aspects of becoming an electrician in my experience. Working as an electrician, I mostly arrive at work at 7 a.m. However, I’ve also had some days and assignments that required my presence at 6 a.m. So in my case, I haven’t worked extreme early hours. Being a bit of a night owl myself, getting up early has taken some getting used to.

However, these are only my words and anecdotal experiences. And, as I mentioned at the start, electricians’ schedules can vary depending on the employer and a variety of other factors. The following table displays the responses of 406 electricians to the following question:

Electricians: When Does Your Typical Workday Begin?

Options	Answers	Percentage
5 a.m.	36	9 %
6 a.m.	110	27 %
7 a.m.	167	41 %
8 a.m.	73	18 %
9 a.m.	20	5

According to the results of this survey, electricians typically arrive at work between the hours of 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. 68 percent of electricians falls into this category. In regards to the morning people and night owls, we also have a sizable number of electricians who arrive at work on the hours of respectively 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. It’s also worth noting that some individual respondents reported getting to work at 9 a.m.

Although I began this section by telling you about how the early workdays can be tough initially, there are certainly also some pretty awesome benefits. And these benefits obviously include the fact that view you did off work so you can enjoy your free time a lot earlier than most folks.

Also Read: 11 future benefits of becoming an electrician

By adjusting to the habit over time, I’ve actually become appreciative of this type of work schedule. Arriving early in the morning means that I get to avoid the rush hour and traffic that most people who work later in the day will have to endure.

Do Electricians Work on Weekends?

Working on weekends can be viewed as either a disadvantage or an opportunity. Working on weekends isn’t always a bad thing for electricians because it gives them the opportunity to earn a higher hourly wage.

Electricians can either choose themselves or be required by their employer to work on weekends. And most electricians will have to work on weekends at some point in their careers. Work on weekends typically takes place due to deadlines and the necessity of turning off entire electrical panels for maintenance.

In my case, if I work on electrical jobs on the weekends, I earn twice my standard pay, according to the rules set by my employer. When working overtime, electricians are entitled to at least one and a half times their hourly wage, according to official standards. However, not all employers consider working on the weekend to be overtime, so you should check with your own employer about these policies.

Also Read: Is being an electrician stressful?

There are numerous reasons why electricians choose or are required to work on weekends. In my experience, I’ve only ever worked two consecutive weekends. And this was in relation to work tasks that had to be completed while entire sections of buildings were turned off; with office workers not being there who uses power and electricity to run computers, lights, and other electrical equipment.

Can Electricians Work Night Shift Jobs?

Yes, electricians can work night shifts. Some electricians can be required to respond to power outages and electrical emergencies as they occur, regardless of the time of day or night. Most of these electricians work on a rotating shift basis, which means that they may spend time working at night as part of a team that is always on call.

Electricians can be called upon to perform emergency repairs and maintenance in order to restore electricity or prevent safety hazards. This is especially true at commercial sites and industrial facilities, where power loss can disrupt the production process or interfere with operations that require electricity to remain on at all times. If such an incident occurs at night, an electrician needs to take care of the issue at hand.

Also Read: Do electricians work mostly alone or with others?

However, most electricians do not usually work night shifts, as the majority of their work is done during regular business hours. There are exceptions to this rule, though—for instance, some electricians are called to help install or fix things that need to be done at night so they don’t disrupt the daily business practices of a company.