The night shift forms an integral part of the service industry. Companies rely on the night shift to provide continuous service to clients beyond the usual eight-hour shift. As demand for 24/7 services grows, so too does the need for night shift workers. In the US alone, it’s estimated that there are around 15 million night shift workers, with Las Vegas taking up 16.53%. [1]
Industries like emergency services, retail, and hospitality commonly use night shift hours to:
- Provide convenient and easily accessible support to customers
- Identify new business opportunities beyond the standard working hours
With the night shift, businesses can stay productive, offer more diverse services, and meet growing customer demand. While shift workers take on the third shift usually for benefits like better pay or because it offers fewer disruptions, it has its fair share of downsides. Working the night shift can take a toll on their overall health and well-being. It causes sleep deprivation and boredom and may even affect their work-life balance.
How can employers step in and create a better environment for their night shift workers? This article explores how businesses can be more proactive when it comes to attracting and retaining talent for the third shift.
What Employers Need to Realize About the Night Shift
Some people love the night shift. While it entails some adjustment period, for night shift workers, this can potentially:
- Lead them to new career and growth opportunities
- Give them better pay
- Lower their cost of living while providing them with greater flexibility
However, switching to working nights has many challenges. Working nights can potentially lead to health problems like sleep deprivation, cardiovascular issues, and psychological problems. [2] It can wreak havoc on their biological clocks. This can then affect physiological processes, hormones, and even their eating habits. [3]
In companies with night shifts, employers can support and help workers make the necessary adjustments. From conducting pre-screenings to keeping shift workers engaged and providing adequate healthcare benefits. These tips below can help you attract, retain, and create a better environment for night shift workers.
Actionable Tips for Attracting and Retaining Talent in Less Desirable Hours
This section shows how employers can support their night-shift employees. Read on to discover tips on how you can facilitate a better work-life balance for your workers.
How to Effectively Recruit the Best Talent for the Night Shift
1. Look for people with prior night shift experience
Employers should strive to understand different personas. [4] This helps you create a value proposition that best fits night shift workers’ needs. For example, if a traditionalist (career-oriented) employee left their day job because of lower wages, you may be able to develop a value proposition focused on offering better pay. For employees who are caregivers or have many responsibilities at home, consider providing them with more flexibility and support so they can better care for their families outside of working hours.
It also helps to ask them about their motives and why they want to work the night shift. This will allow you to determine if the candidate would be a good fit. Consider taking on employees who have prior experience working nights. They already have an idea of what the shift entails and how it will impact their lifestyle.
2. Set clear expectations
Not everyone is a good fit for night shift work. This is where pre-screening plays an important role. The graveyard shift may affect their family lives or they may experience health problems due to sleep deprivation during the day. You don’t want to hire someone only to find out that they can’t work the third shift because of their obligations. Setting clear expectations when hiring can help you avoid potential problems.
3. Create consistent schedules
Consistent schedules benefit employees. It helps them maintain their sleep cycle, allowing them to be at their best. Employee scheduling software lets you create and monitor schedules that best fit your workers’ needs. However, employers must also offer flexible scheduling to promote better work-life balance for night shift workers. Flexibility is now becoming more important to workers, with 59% of employees viewing it as more important to them compared to salary or benefits. [5]
Retaining Talent for the Night Shift
1. Make support more accessible for night shift employees
Communication is crucial to making your night shift workers feel connected with employees working other shifts. Providing them with a centralized communication hub or establishing a good communication system helps bridge any communication gaps. It brings them together, keeps communications organized, and makes sure that everyone gets the same message.
When picking a communication channel for all your employees (including night shift workers), there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. It’s best to ask them what channels they prefer using. Also, consider which channels are really helpful for your overall communications.
2. Prioritize their safety
Optimizing your workplace for the night shift is vital to creating a safer space for your employees and encouraging productivity.
- Provide them with a well-lit workspace to maintain alertness.
- Set temperatures to comfortable levels.
- Offer a healthier snack selection instead of sugary foods to help employees sustain their energy levels.
- Schedule regular breaks or give them extra breaks so they can recharge.
Consider setting up a buddy system. This encourages your employees to look out for each other, promoting a safer working environment and stronger bonds.
Lastly, your night shift workers may find it difficult to get health and wellness services during regular office hours. Give them easy access to health services, such as wellness programs and round-the-clock onsite health services. Also, look into providing them with counseling programs to help them cope with third-shift challenges.
3. Keep your night shift employees engaged
Keeping your workers engaged is crucial to building a better workplace culture. Below are some tips to help keep night shift employees engaged:
- Provide flexible options for childcare like on-site childcare facilities.
- Give them the opportunity or resources to pursue their education.
- Organize team activities that involve employees from different shifts.
Additionally, consider offering a growth plan for your night shift employees. For example, you can provide them with opportunities to upskill or reskill. This helps address skill gaps and makes your company more competitive, especially if you’re looking to hire more night shift workers.
It’s also important to have leaders who are present during the shift. Leaders working nights can monitor their employees, check in on workers, diffuse conflicts, and provide encouragement. This also helps employees feel that they’re getting the support and guidance they need.
4. Reward your employees
When your employees are working the night shift, they’re working during less desirable hours. Incentives can be a powerful way to show them that you appreciate their efforts. Aside from monetary rewards, consider giving them recognition or offering perks like shorter shift hours or not giving them work during the weekends.
5. Embrace technology
Technology can make you and your employees’ lives easier. Tech solutions can streamline your workflows, which helps reduce the burden on night shift workers. Communication channels like Slack or Discord can make it easier for employees to communicate. Meanwhile, telemedicine tools give them easier access to better quality of care.
6. Regularly check in with your night shift workers
This gives you the opportunity to tackle any issues your employees may be facing when working nights. Regular check-ins also give your employees an avenue where they can discuss their concerns and provide feedback. In turn, you can use this as an opportunity to find solutions so you can provide them with better support.
7. Provide fair compensation
Aside from fair wages, consider offering higher compensation if your budget allows this. Salary increases help make workers feel valued. This also allows you to show your appreciation for the work that they’re doing despite the challenges that come with working nights.
Creating a Better Workplace in Less Desirable Hours
At the core of any successful business is its employees. Night shift workers face challenges when adjusting to this routine, such as health concerns and issues with work-life balance. However, employers can step in to make sure that their employees get the support they need. Supporting night shift workers goes beyond providing them with incentives or consistent schedules. It’s about building a foundation of respect and developing a workplace culture that values the work they’re doing.
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Citations:
1. zippia
3. The Guardian
4. McKinsey
5. hbr.org
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