Sunday working and night working

Terms and conditions for Sunday and night workers

If you employ people outside normal working hours it is a good idea to reward them for working antisocial hours. You're not required by law to do this, but it can help with staff recruitment and retention and can improve business productivity. Common ways to reward night and Sunday workers include paying them time-and-a-half or double time, or giving them extra leave.

You need to comply with the Working Time Regulations - which means giving at least 11 hours of rest per day, at least one day off per week, and a rest break if the working day is longer than six hours (young workers are entitled to longer and more frequent breaks). See our guide on hours, rest breaks and the working week.

Assess the health and safety implications of night working - for instance, your fire-evacuation procedure may need to be changed at night. Also, you may need to tighten your security arrangements.

Other matters of good practice (as opposed to legal obligation) when dealing with night and Sunday working include:

• giving employees at least one weekend off in three
• providing hygienic food and refreshment facilities as local facilities could be shut
• giving reasonable notice periods when changing employees' shift patterns and being careful not to breach their contracts
• showing an interest in shift workers by visiting them while they work
• considering whether the number of night workers requires specific supervision or management to help maintain discipline and productivity
• considering supplying transport to the local station, eg a minibus
• providing equal opportunities for training, promotion and involvement in staff consultations

Think about your employees' preferences into account as far as possible when organising shift work. Workers will be happier if they can have some say in how their schedule is arranged.

For information on non-standard work patterns, see our guide on the benefits of flexible working.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• The rules about working on Sunday
• The rules about working at night
• Shift working involving Sunday/night work
• Terms and conditions for Sunday and night workers

 

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