The Liminal Space

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Night Club

 
 
 

What was the challenge?

More people are working nights than ever before - this has grown to over 7 million people during Covid-19.

Night shift work is classified as ‘probably carcinogenic’ by the World Health Organisation and there is mounting evidence that it contributes to a number of serious health conditions – from heart disease and diabetes to mental health issues.

 
 

Insights from our Night Club programme at Guys St. Thomas’ Hospital. Partners: Impact on Urban Health

 

What did we do?

We created Night Club, a transformational engagement programme that brings sleep researchers together with night shift workers and employers to create a better and healthier working experience.

Seed funded by the Wellcome Trust, and working in partnership with the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, at Oxford University, Night Club has proven to be a highly effective tool in the workplaces of our founding partners. Directly engaging over 4,000 employees across 25 sites in the UK since 2018 and reaching 100,000+ virtually.

Night Club has been successfully utilised by Co-op, John Lewis Partnership, Thames Water and Veolia, whose night shift workers were given the opportunity to visit the Night Club installation to learn about how to manage the impacts of night work on their mental and physical health.

In 2021 we launched a brand new Night Club pop-up at Veolia depots across London, alongside a funding partnership with Urban Health, allowing us to roll the project out to SMEs and community organisations based in Southwark and Lambeth who want to support their staff better.

 
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EMPLOYER PARTNERS

 
 
 
 
 
 
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What has the impact been?

Now in its 4th year, this award winning programme has delivered significant change for workers and leadership within several commercial partners. New companies and funders are joining Night Club to create positive change for the forgotten shift. 

  • Almost all night workers visiting the installation said they had learnt something new

  • Most said they would change their behaviour following Night Club

  • Indications of reductions in absenteeism and increased effectiveness in the workforce

  • The programme has led to improved staff engagement scores and organisational level practice change

  • Night Club has raised the profile of each brand involved through significant local and national media (inc. BBC, Financial Times and The Grocer), a health & wellbeing award for Co-op at the Personnel Awards, and via a presentation to UK Parliament

 
 
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Find out more

To find out more about what you can do to support your night shift workers by reading our Manifesto report.

Working in collaboration with the Co-op, we launched the Manifesto in Parliament in November 2020, setting out recommendations for what employers and policy makers need to do for night shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing, the results of which will lead to increased engagement and productivity.

Please enter your details here to download the free report.

To find out more about Night Club and what it could mean for you and your organisation, please contact sarah@the-liminal-space.com.

 
 

Testimonials

Feedback from Night Club has been terrific and work is now ongoing at our sites to embed and sustain these positive changes to highlight the lessons we’ve learnt that can then be spread across the Partnership’s much wider night shift community.
— Pete Connolly Partner & Regional Health Manager, John Lewis Partnership
Translating the resources was fantastic and they struck a chord with the staff where a typical response was: ‘Yes that’s what happens to me!’
— Julie Angulo, Managing Director, Veolia Southwark
There is an urgent need for greater health education and practice change with respect to night workers in the UK.
— Professor Russell Foster, Head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, University of Oxford
This programme is one of the most innovative initiatives I’ve seen in the Co-op.
— Steve Murrells, CEO, Co-op
 

Links

 

Collaborators

Food & Recipe Design – Cecilia McCormick, Plate
Lighting Design – Marty Langthorne
Sound Design – Thor McIntyre-Burnie, aswarm