It should be stressed that there are no standard terms for describing the various aspects of shift work. Instead there are a variety of terms that vary from organization to organization. Moreover, frequently different words are used to describe the same thing, and often they are used interchangeably.
The list that follows is by no means comprehensive. However, it does cover most of the terms in common use. It highlights those words and phrases that have two, or more meanings, and instances where different words or phrases are used to describe the same thing.
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- Abnormal Hours
- Accounting Period
- Afternoon Shift
- Alternating Days and Nights
- Alternating Shift System
- Annual Hours Agreements
- Annual Hours Rotas
- Annual Leave
- Annual Salary
- Anti-clockwise Rotation
- Back Shift
- Back to Back Shifts
- Backward Rotation
- Bank Holiday
- Banked Hours / Time
- Basic Rate of Pay
- Biological Rhythm
- Block of Shifts
- Body Clock
- Butt-ended Shifts
- Calendar Year
- Call Out Pay
- Call Out Rota
- Carryover
- Changeover
- Circadian Rhythm
- Clockwise Rotation
- Commitment Hours
- Compressed Working Week
- Continental Shift System
- Continuous Shift Work
- Contractual Hours
- Contractual Overtime
- Core Time
- Cover
- Cover Rota
- Crew
- Customary Holiday Entitlement
- Cycle
- Day
- Day Shift
- Day Shift Worker
- Day Worker
- Deficit Hours
- Direction of Rotation
- Discontinuous Shift System
- Diurnal
- Double Day Shift
- Double Jobbing
- Double Shift
- Duty
- Early Shift
- Eight Hour Shifts
- Evening Shift
- Extended Duty
- Fast Rotation
- Five Day Rotas
- Five Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rota
- Five Team / Crew / Set / Shift, Rotating
- Five-and-a-half Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rota
- Fixed Shift System
- Fixed Shifts
- Flat Rate Premia
- Flexible Time
- Flextime Agreement
- Floating Holiday
- Forward Rotation
- Four Team / Crew / Set / Shift Fixed
- Four Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rota
- Four Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rotating
- Four-and-a-half Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rota
- Frequency of Rotation
- Full-time Employee / Worker
- Habitual Overtime
- Handover
- Holiday Entitlement
- Holiday Rota
- Holiday Year
- Homogeneous Blocks
- Hybrid Shift Systems
- Inconvenience Payment
- Integrated Days
- Irregular Blocks
- Irregular Shifts
- Job Share Shifts
- Leave Entitlement
- Lieu Time
- Linkage to Pay
- Meal Breaks
- Mixed Rotation
- Moonlighting
- Morning Shift
- Night Shift
- Night Shift Worker
- Night Worker
- Nine Day Fortnight
- Nocturnal
- Non-continuous Shift System
- Non-rotating Blocks
- Non-rotating Shift System
- Non-rotating Shifts
- Non-standard Hours
- Normal Basic Week
- Normal Day Shift
- Overlap
- Overtime
- Overtime Pay
- Overtime Premia
- Owed Hours
- Paid Break
- Paid Hours
- Paid Meal Break
- Part-time Worker
- Pay Back Hours / Shifts
- Percentage Premia
- Permanent Shift System
- Permanent Shifts
- Plain Time Rates
- Prelap
- Public Holiday
- Quick Rotation
- Rapid Rotation
- Reconciliation Hours / Shifts
- Reconciliation Period
- Recorded Hours
- Reference Period
- Regular Shifts
- Rest Breaks
- Rest Period
- Roster
- Rostered Holiday
- Rota
- Rotating Shift System
- Schedule
- Semi-backward Rotation
- Semi-continuous
- Sequence of Rotation
- Service Related Holiday
- Set
- Settlement Period
- Seven Day Rotas
- Shadow Rota
- Shift
- Shift Change
- Shift Premia
- Shift Sequence
- Shift Worker
- Shiftwork
- Short Shift
- Shutdown
- Six Day Rotas
- Six Team / Crew / Set / Shift Fixed
- Six Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rota
- Six Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rotating
- Slow Rotation
- Speed of Rotation
- Split Shift
- Staggered Breaks
- Staggered Days
- Staggered Start
- Stand-by
- Stand-by Payment
- Stand-by Rota
- Standard Hours
- Standard Work Pattern
- Surplus Hours
- Switch Point
- Tea Breaks
- Team
- Temporary Shift Worker
- Three Team / Crew / Set / Shift Fixed
- Three Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rota
- Three Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rotating
- Three-and-a-half Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rota
- Time off in Lieu
- Traditional Shift Rota
- Twelve Hour Shifts
- Twilight Shift
- Two Team / Crew / Set / Shift Fixed
- Two Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rota
- Two Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rotating
- Two-and-a-half Team / Crew / Set / Shift Rota
- Type of Shift
- Universal Pay Grid
- Unpaid Meal Break
- Unsocial Hours
- Unsocial Hours Premia
- Voluntary Overtime
- Week
- Week About
- Weekend Premia
- Weekend Shift