Shift work - Definition and Overview

Shift work is a pattern of hours of work designed to make use of the 24 hours of the clock, rather than a standard working day. A day may for example be divided into three shifts each of eight hours, and an employee works just one of those shifts; they might for example be 0800 to 1600, 1600 to 2400, 2400 to 0800 in terms of the twenty four hour clock.

Shift work was once characteristic of manufacturing industry, where it has a clear effect of increasing the use that can be made of capital equipment, and allowing for up to three times the production compared to an eight-hour day. It contrasts with the use of overtime to increase production at the margin. Both approaches incur higher wage costs, in general; shift work, requiring workers to live on a time-shifted schedule for extended periods, is unpopular, and typically pay must be at a premium. It has at times been common in heavy industry, and car manufacturing. The use of shift work varies greatly from country to country.

Service industries now increasingly operate on some shift system; for example a convenience store will normally each day be open for much longer than a working day. Shift work has been traditional in the armed forces, and for clear reasons: for example sailors must be available to handle a vessel around the clock, and a system of naval watches organised to ensure enough hands are on duty at any time. This is shift work by another name.

The graveyard shift is a popular name for the shift covering the small hours, in particular for radio presenters or in the retail trade.