ITT: Half of the people doesn’t understand what OP asks. The question is not why they start early, it’s why specifically 5AM. Why not 5:30? Why not 4? What is the specific significance of 5AM?
My thought is, why not 8am? Why not a variable start time to get the most productive 8 hours of each worker? Why push the start time so much earlier than the “9-5” that is such a regular part of the American vocabulary?
It has to do with balancing home life with work on a rotating shift. Getting out of work at 5pm allows time with the family in the evening. Arriving home at 8pm pretty much guarantees you won’t see them because you’ll be asleep on night shift until right before your shift. Folks prefer 4am over 5am for this reason.
ITT: Half of the people doesn’t understand what OP asks. The question is not why they start early, it’s why specifically 5AM. Why not 5:30? Why not 4? What is the specific significance of 5AM?
I imagine, it doesn’t help that this seems to be some regional thing that it’s specifically 5 AM. Here in Germany, it seems to usually be 7 AM or so.
My thought is, why not 8am? Why not a variable start time to get the most productive 8 hours of each worker? Why push the start time so much earlier than the “9-5” that is such a regular part of the American vocabulary?
It has to do with balancing home life with work on a rotating shift. Getting out of work at 5pm allows time with the family in the evening. Arriving home at 8pm pretty much guarantees you won’t see them because you’ll be asleep on night shift until right before your shift. Folks prefer 4am over 5am for this reason.