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Definitions of night work
- A night shift is a shift in which more than 1 hour of work is performed between 0:00 am and 6:00 am.
(Working Hours Act, Article 1.7d) - Work that is performed at times that may cause disruption of the body's day-night rhythm; including longer shifts and on-call services that partly fall at night.
(source: Health Council of the Netherlands, 2017)
Definitions of on-call services
To ensure continuity of care and to be able to act quickly in the event of emergencies, there are various on-call services for up to 24 hours. Working during the night can also occur. This requires careful consideration, not only with an eye for laws and regulations, but also for your work-life balance.
- Consignment service: a period between two consecutive shifts or during a break, in which the employee is only obliged to be available in order to perform the stipulated work as soon as possible on call in the event of unforeseen circumstances (Working Hours Act, Article 1.7g).
- Stand-by duty: a continuous period of no more than 24 hours in which the employee, if necessary in addition to performing the stipulated work, is obliged to be available in order to perform the stipulated work as soon as possible on call (Working Hours Decree, Article 1.1).
- On-call time: a continuous period of no more than 24 hours in which the employee, if necessary in addition to performing the stipulated work, is obliged to be present at the workplace in order to perform the stipulated work as soon as possible on call (Working Hours Decree, Article 1.1).