The start of British Summer Time

The clocks change on the last Saturday of March every year in the UK, moving forward by one hour, marking the start of British Summer Time (although it can take several weeks for the weather to catch up!)

For most of us, it’s one hour less in bed, but the original campaign argued that the change meant that in summer those living in the northern hemisphere could make more use of the earlier daylight hours. 

The decision to change the clocks on Saturday night/Sunday morning was made because it would cause the least disruption for schools and businesses, but as time (no pun intended) has moved on and more business operate 24/7 what about those employees who are working over the weekend, how does this affect them?

What about the workers on the night shift when the clocks go forward?

Technically they’ll be working an hour less.  If your employees are paid hourly, their wage will vary depending on the hours they work.   Salaried staff will receive the same amount of pay even if they don’t work the same hours. 

Check the wording in your contracts of employment.  If the contract states the number of hours they should work, then they should still be working the same number of hours.

If the contract specifies a start and finish time, then they should finish at that specific time regardless of whether they have worked an hour less.   

This could be an issue if you have deadlines to meet, if you want your employee to work the extra hour then consider asking them to do overtime or give them time off in lieu.  The same will apply in October when the clocks go back, so you can allow them to work a shorter shift in March but ask them to work an extra hour in October, it all evens out in the end. 

Be mindful that staff can’t be forced to work over 48 hours a week unless they have signed an opt-out agreement.