Night shift policy template
Copy the text below and replace everything in square brackets with your company details.
1. Purpose
This policy sets out how [Company Name] runs night shifts safely and lawfully. It covers consent, safety, transport, rest and allowances, with specific safeguards for women employees who work at night.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all employees assigned to a shift that runs wholly or partly between [10 pm] and [6 am]. It works with the shift work policy, the weekly off policy and the overtime policy. A shift that crosses midnight is treated as belonging to the day it starts for pay and records.
3. Consent for night work
No employee is assigned a night shift against a documented medical restriction. Women employees are assigned night work only with their consent and the safety conditions set by the government, as covered by the rights of women employees on night shifts. Consent is recorded before the first night shift and can be withdrawn with reasonable notice.
4. Safety and security
- A minimum number of employees, never a single woman alone, is rostered on any night shift.
- The workplace is lit, guarded and has a working emergency contact through the night.
- First aid, a supervisor and a way to reach help are available for the full shift.
- Any harassment or safety concern at night is acted on at once under the POSH and grievance policies.
5. Transport
Where the company provides night transport, it covers safe pick-up and drop for employees on the night shift, with a guard on vehicles carrying women employees where required. Routes and timings are shared in advance. An employee who arranges their own transport does so by an agreed safe method.
6. Rest, health and allowance
- A rest gap of at least [Number] hours is given between a night shift and the next assigned shift.
- Night shift employees are offered the periodic health check the company arranges for night workers.
- A night shift allowance of [Amount] per night is paid where the company offers one, in addition to any overtime.
7. Responsibilities
- Employees: report fit for the night shift, follow safety rules and report any concern at once.
- Supervisors: keep the minimum roster, never leave a lone woman on site and handle emergencies.
- HR: record consent, arrange transport and health checks and monitor rest gaps.
8. Exceptions
In an emergency the site head may extend or rearrange a night shift to keep operations safe, and records the reason. Extra hours are handled under the overtime policy. No exception removes the safety or consent safeguards for women employees.
9. Review
HR and the site head review this policy every [12] months and after any night-time safety incident. Employees on nights are told before a change to transport, security or the shift pattern takes effect.
Acknowledgement: I have read the [Company Name] night shift policy and consent to work night shifts under the stated safety, transport and rest arrangements.
Name: [Employee Name] Employee ID: [Employee ID]
Signature: [Signature] Date: [Date]
What to include
Record consent for women
Women may work nights with their consent and the safety conditions the government sets. Record that consent in writing before the first night shift, and allow it to be withdrawn. This is both a legal safeguard and a matter of basic fairness.
Never a lone woman on site
Roster a minimum number on every night shift and never leave a single woman employee alone. Group presence, lighting and a guard are the plain safeguards that prevent most night-time incidents at a workplace.
Provide safe transport
State the night transport arrangement clearly, with a guard on vehicles carrying women where required. Transport is where night work most often goes wrong, so the arrangement belongs in the policy, not in a verbal promise.
Guard the rest gap
Give a real rest gap between a night shift and the next shift. Rotating someone straight from nights to an early morning shift harms health and safety and shows up as fatigue errors within days.
Handle midnight crossover
State that a shift crossing midnight belongs to the day it starts. This keeps pay, overtime and weekly off calculations consistent and avoids the confusion of a single shift split across two calendar days.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assigning women to night work with no recorded consent and no safety arrangement in place.
- Leaving one employee alone on a night shift, especially a lone woman, with no guard or backup.
- Promising night transport verbally but leaving it out of the written policy, so it lapses quietly.
- Sending a worker from a night shift straight into a morning shift with no real rest.
- Leaving unclear whether a midnight-crossing shift counts for the first day or the second.
Run it in ZeniaHR
In ZeniaHR you mark a shift as a night shift in the shift catalogue, and punches on a shift that crosses midnight are filed to the shift's day so pay and weekly offs stay correct. A night shift allowance can be added as a payroll input, and approved overtime on a night is paid at the gross day rate divided by 8, times hours, times the night multiplier set in the overtime policy. Managers see who is on the night shift on the live board, and missed punch-out and absent alerts help supervisors track the night team.
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Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
Can women work night shifts in India?
Yes. Women may work night shifts with their consent and the safety conditions set by the government, such as adequate numbers on the shift, secure premises and safe transport. The employer records the consent and provides the safeguards. A woman cannot be forced onto a night shift, and consent given can be withdrawn with reasonable notice.
What safety measures are needed for night shifts?
A night shift needs enough employees rostered together, a lit and guarded workplace, first aid and a supervisor on duty, a working way to reach help, and safe transport where the company provides it. Women employees must never be left alone on site. Record consent for night work and keep a real rest gap before the next shift.
Is a night shift allowance mandatory in India?
There is no general statutory night allowance, though overtime for hours beyond the prescribed limit is paid at twice the ordinary wage. Many employers pay a separate night allowance to recognise the strain of night work, but it is a company choice. If you offer one, state the amount clearly in the policy and pay it on top of any overtime due.