The Twilight Shift

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Asda is to remove more than 200 night shift manager roles and switch more than 4,000 night workers from overnight to morning and twilight shifts, as part of a major shake-up of its store operations. The most frequently worked shift pattern in the UK is probably the two-shift system that will rotate two members or teams of staff. This involves an early and a late shift, comprising two successive 8-hour shifts, such as 6am-2pm followed by 2pm-10pm, with one team working mornings or ‘earlies’ and the other working afternoons or ‘lates’. The 4-on 4-off shift pattern is often used in industries like healthcare or hospitality. This can be changed to a 4-on and 3-off approach, with fewer rest days taken in between shifts. But if it goes ahead, 211 night shift manager roles will go and circa 4,137 hourly-paid colleagues will see their hours change, with the removal of night shift premiums currently paid on top of their existing hourly rate. For example, the Working Time Regulations 1998 states that no employee can work over 48 hours a week on average unless the employee chooses to work more by opting out of the 48-hour week.

If you’re creating a new rota, you may be unsure how to organise your staff in a way that works for them and your workplace. At Breathe we know an effective rota helps ensure your staff are fresh, motivated and happy. Auditing all their calls over a four-month period revealed that 40 per cent were made before 8pm. After long discussions, the team changed the on-call service to start at 8pm and instituted a ‘twilight’ shift to cover the busier evening hours. It seems incredible to me that the most critically ill patients could be treated by the least proficient staff,’ one member said. Furthermore the Covid-19 pandemic temporary register introduced in 2020 includes 12,756 nurses and midwives and 64 % are aged 56 years and above. Careful consideration needs to be given to how these nurses and midwives can be encouraged to remain in practice beyond the pandemic. Working twilight hours can provide workers with better health benefits. Working during the night can help prevent chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes, as well as mental health issues. Avoiding Rush Hour TrafficThe retail sector is evolving at pace and it is vital we review changing customer preferences, along with our own ways of working, to ensure we are operating as efficiently as possible, so that we can continue to invest and grow our business,” said Asda retail director Ken Towle. The size of the shift premium is typically linked to the relative inconvenience of a particular shift pattern, reflecting things like the time when shifts are worked, the length of the shift, whether weekend or night work is involved, and the speed of rotation. For example, even though night-shift workers are not legally entitled to a higher rate of pay, the premium to incentivise staff to work nights will often be much higher than for daytime shift-working. Where night working forms part of a 4-on 4-off pattern, the consecutive number of weekends that can be affected by the shift pattern can also equate to a need to pay workers more. Twilight shifts are being introduced in numerous services, with flexibility and relevance to local needs improving the chances of success. Having physios on hand for longer hours is cost-effective, as CSP senior negotiating officer Andy Ballard points out. Their work helps to free up hospital beds and reduce the time that facilities such as operating theatres are left idle. But this raises questions about staffing levels. ‘Yes, some people will come at 8pm instead of during the day,’ says Mr Ballard. ‘But generally if you want a longer service you need more staff. We’ve got to persuade employers that if they spend more money on physiotherapy they’ll be saving money on other things.’

The increasing demand for physios to work outside daytime hours is part of a move towards 24/7 healthcare, especially for urgent and emergency services. NHS England’s current review is putting these services under the spotlight. As national medical director Sir Bruce Keogh says ‘for acute services to be judged safe, they have to be safe 24/7’. The twilight or evening shift is a short shift worked in the evenings, typically 5pm to 9pm. This is a part-time shift pattern commonly used for cleaning staff, or in the hospitality and service industries, or where there is seasonal demand, such as in retail. Catherine Thompson, chair of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care (ACPRC) and head of patient experience (acute services) at NHS England, agrees that respiratory specialists aren’t the only physios competent to work on call.A predictive scheduling system is the simplest way to manage a staggered day shift pattern. This puts the onus on the employer to make sure all staff know their shift patterns at least two-weeks ahead of schedule. Weekend work To help you create the perfect rota, in this blog, we explore the different shift patterns available, helping you identify which style will suit your team & workplace.