What Is a Night Shift?

A night shift is a work shift that takes place at night, outside of typical working schedules like the 9-5. It is used in industries where organizations often need to operate around the clock, like manufacturing and healthcare. Besides the shift itself, the term “night shift” may also refer to the employees working at night.

What is considered a night shift?

The typical night shift begins right around midnight or slightly before it. You can implement night shifts of varying lengths in your business, depending on which shift pattern you choose to use. If you don’t use a rotating shift pattern, you may want to offer higher pay for your night shift workers to account for the drawbacks of the night shift.

What are the disadvantages of a night shift?

The main drawback of night shifts is their adverse effects on employee health. Working at night can cause a variety of issues related to your staff’s sleep and mental health.

Another negative effect of night shifts is an unhealthy work-life balance. This results from the limited amount of time night shift workers will have to fulfill their personal responsibilities throughout the day. Consequently, shift scheduling is commonly used to lessen these effects on employees and provide them with extra time to recover.