Clock Changes for Shift Workers: Pay, Hours and Rotas
If your shift runs through the early hours of a clock-change Sunday, it is one hour shorter in spring and one hour longer in autumn.
How the hours change
A night shift from 22:00 to 06:00 lasts seven hours in spring and nine hours in autumn, measured by real time. In spring the clock jumps from 01:00 to 02:00, and in autumn the hour from 01:00 to 02:00 happens twice.
Pay and rotas
Practice varies. Some employers pay the contracted number of hours regardless of the change, and others pay the actual time worked. Your contract, the staff handbook or the HR team will say which applies, and it is worth asking before the weekend.
Rotas for hospitals, transport and care homes usually include a note about the repeated or missing hour. If you are scheduling cover, state times in UTC or write BST or GMT to avoid mistakes.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get paid for the extra hour in autumn?
It depends on your contract. Some employers pay for actual hours worked, others pay a fixed shift length. Check with your employer.
Clock change guides
- What Is Daylight Saving Time (DST)? A Plain-English GuideWhat daylight saving time is, how it works in the UK, Europe and the US, why it exists, its history, who uses it and the argument over scrapping it.
- Why Do the Clocks Go Back in October? The Real ReasonThe clocks go back in autumn to return the UK to GMT, so winter mornings are lighter. The history, the rule, what time it happens and what changes for you.
- When Do the Clocks Go Forward Again After Going Back?When the UK clocks go forward again after the autumn change, how long the UK stays on GMT, when evenings get lighter and how to remember to reset your clocks.