The Forgotten Shift
We all know what a bad night’s sleep feels like. Imagine a whole career of bad sleep.
“It’s very hard on your mental, as well as physical, health…your body clock just keeps changing all the time. I had to change everything. My eating habits, my social gathering habits, my family habits…”
In my role leading Night Club, I hear these experiences time and time and again — from the people who keep food on our tables, the people nursing our sick, driving our buses, cleaning our offices and collecting our rubbish…
And- as sure and relied upon as night follows day- 1 in 8 people in the UK work nights. These people are the hidden army of workers who keep our 24/7 society running. They are the key workers who bore the brunt of the COVID crisis, the hidden hands we relied on to pull us through.
Shift workers are absolutely essential to public services, business growth and the economy. And yet, as round-the-clock working grows, so too does the evidence that night work contributes to a number of serious health conditions — from heart disease, diabetes and cancer to mental health issues. With an estimated loss of £4bn to the UK economy alone, poor sleep amongst shift workers inevitably impact absenteeism, attrition and productivity in the workplace, too.
That is why Night Club exists- to help night workers manage the negative impacts of night shift on their health and to help businesses better support their workforces. This is particularly urgent now — given that this workforce will face the sharp end of the cost of living crisis — with many working all hours just to make ends meet.
Over 20 businesses across sectors have joined Night Club’s mission already, taking the intervention to the heart of their organisations. They have joined the programme because it’s the right thing to do. From TfL to Coop, the NHS, Network Rail, Veolia, GXO, ISS and Stagecoach, Night Club partners recognise that sleep is a business issue, and sleep is a social issue. By joining the programme, they are able to see first-hand that when the health and wellbeing of your staff benefits, so too does business- because to work well, you need to be well.
After taking part in Night Club earlier this year, 90%* of staff at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London felt confident that they could make the changes they needed in order to improve their sleep health. With the WHO classifying night shift work as ‘probably carcinogenic’, it is time to shine a light on the challenges faced by a forgotten workforce and take action. I invite you to start by joining Night Club.
— Sarah Douglas, Founder and Director of Night Club and The Liminal Space. Taken from a keynote speech at London Design Festival, 21st Sept 2022.
