Night Worker Week puts people who work night shifts in the spotlight

The start of winter time marks the start of Night Worker Week. The week is a joint initiative of UMCNL and the NVZ to draw extra attention to the people who keep healthcare running at night. With practical tips, webinars, podcasts and fun activities, we help night workers stay healthy and energetic throughout the night.

In the Netherlands, more than 1.2 million people regularly work at night, a large proportion of whom are employed in the healthcare sector. Night shifts are often attractive, offering night workers a high degree of autonomy, the opportunity to focus on patients and close cooperation with colleagues. However, long-term night work can also be physically and socially stressful. For example, it can disrupt the natural day-night rhythm, upset the work-life balance and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. That is why it is important for night workers to take good care of themselves and for employers to provide night workers with proper support.

With Night Worker Week, we want to highlight these two aspects of night work. Starting on 26 October, we will be drawing attention to all those professionals who are indispensable in providing good care for patients 24 hours a day. Each day will focus on a different aspect of night work, from smart scheduling to healthy nutrition. We will share useful tips from experts and experienced professionals, as well as fun activities to help you stay healthy and energetic throughout the night.

The campaign ties in with existing initiatives such as the Goedenacht App and the health and safety catalogue, and offers additional material that will remain available after the campaign has ended. On the website weekvandenachtwerker.nl, you will find the programme for the week and links to webinars, podcasts and other useful information. In addition, we offer a new theme page about night work on the Dokterhoe.nl website. Here, night workers and their managers can find the most important information about night work in one overview.