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What Is the Difference Between a Night & Evening Shift?

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If you work more than half your shift hours between the hours of 4 p.m. and midnight, you are working the evening shift. If at least half of your working hours are between midnight and 8 a.m., you are working the night shift. People who work a standard work day, with most of their hours between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., work the day shift.

Shift Work

Whether you work the evening or night shift, your job is referred to as shift work. The term refers to work schedules that happen outside of the standard working hours of 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. Shift work is common in phone call centers as well as at companies that rely on business from different time zones. It is also common at companies that operate 24 hours a day. In some cases, working an evening or night shift can lead to higher pay because fewer employers are willing or able to work these shifts.