Night worker health

For many colleagues, there are both home and work life advantages of being a night shift worker.

However, working outside standard daytime hours can increase some health risks, which if not managed properly, can affect performance, increase the likelihood of mistakes and accidents at work, and may even have a long-term impact on one’s health, affecting:

• Physical fitness and lifestyle;
• Fatigue;
• Sleeping difficulties;
• Reliance on sedatives and/or stimulants;
• Social and domestic problems.

It has long been recognised that people who work shifts, particularly night shifts, are more prone to certain health conditions due to the changes in their body clock leading to reduced rest, changes in eating habits, taking less physical exercise and having less social interaction with family and friends.

If you regularly work night shifts, click here for steps you can take to help maintain and improve your health and minimise any adverse effects.

Free health assessment

All colleagues who work for at least three hours between the hours of 23.00 and 06.00 can take up a regular free health assessment via a screening questionnaire, that has been compiled with guidance from Royal Mail’s occupational health service provider.

We are committed to improving the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our employees. A night worker health assessment will identify any risk factors associated with medical condition(s) and then enable advice to be obtained on how to manage them effectively.

Night workers can receive a health assessment through their line manager, who can make a referral to the occupational health service here by 28September. Health questionnaires will be emailed direct to colleagues to complete and returned to the occupational health service provider.

Participation is voluntary and if there are no health concerns, employees and line managers will receive a report to confirm this.

Further support

The Feeling First Class portal has helpful support content for your mental and physical health. Visit www.feelingfirstclass.co.uk (code FFC1 to register) and download the app from iTunes or the Google Play store.

The First Class Support helpline is completely confidential and independent. Call now on 0345 266 5060 if you would like to talk to someone about any physical or mental health-related matter, for lifestyle advice, or for direct access to counselling treatments.

You can also visit www.rmgfirstclasssupport.co.uk or download the ‘Lifeworks’ app. New users of the site are required to ‘sign up’ using a unique invitation code, which is the RMG-prefix and your payroll number, for example, RMG-12345678.