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Shift types explained

Work shift types & names,
all in one place.

Early, late, night, back shift, on-call — every common work shift, its typical hours, and what it's called where you work. Tap any one for the full explanation.

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At a glance

The main shift types and their hours

Hours vary by employer and industry, but these are the typical ranges. Follow any link for the full breakdown, regional names, and FAQs.

ShiftTypical hoursAlso called
Early / Morning6am – 2pm (or 7am – 3pm)Earlies, Morning, First shift, AM shift
Late / Swing2pm – 10pmLates, Swing shift, Second shift, PM shift
Back shift2pm – 10pm (afternoon/evening)Backie (UK/Scotland)
Night / Graveyard10pm – 6am (or midnight – 8am)Nights, Graveyard, Third shift, Overnight
On-call / StandbyAvailable, not on-siteOn call, Standby, Call cover
Rest dayOff / non-workingRDO, Off day

How they fit together

The three-shift system

Many 24/7 workplaces split the day into three shifts so there's always a crew on. In North America these are the first shift (morning), second shift (afternoon/swing), and third shift (overnight). In the UK and much of the Commonwealth the same three are usually called early, late, and night.

Two-shift operations run just days and nights. Rotating patterns — like 4-on-4-off, Panama (2-2-3), or a rotating schedule — move you through these shifts on a fixed cycle so the same small team covers every hour.

Explore each one

Every shift type, explained in full

Early / Morning shift →

The first shift of the day, typically 6am–2pm. Also called earlies, morning, first shift or AM shift.

Late / Swing shift →

The middle shift, roughly 2pm–10pm. Called lates in the UK, swing shift or second shift in the US.

Back shift →

A UK — especially Scottish — term for the afternoon/evening shift, often 2pm–10pm.

Night / Graveyard shift →

The overnight shift, about 10pm–6am. Called nights, graveyard, third shift or overnight.

On-call / Standby →

Not on-site, but available to be called in — common in healthcare, IT and maintenance.

Rest day / RDO →

A scheduled non-working day built into a rotating pattern.

Common questions

Shift types FAQ

What are the main types of work shift?
The early (morning) shift, roughly 6am–2pm; the late (swing) shift, roughly 2pm–10pm; and the night (graveyard) shift, roughly 10pm–6am. Many workplaces also use a back shift (a UK afternoon/evening shift) and on-call or standby cover.
What are the three shifts called?
In a three-shift system they're the first shift (morning/early), second shift (afternoon/late or swing), and third shift (overnight/night or graveyard). UK workplaces often say early, late and night instead.
What is the difference between a back shift, a late shift and a swing shift?
They all cover the afternoon into the evening. "Back shift" is the UK/Scottish term (often 2pm–10pm), "late shift" is common across the UK and Commonwealth, and "swing shift" is the American name for the same middle shift between days and nights.

Whatever your shifts are called, ShiftFlowr tracks them.

Build your rotating pattern once and it fills your earlies, lates, nights and rest days automatically — in the words you actually use at work.

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Free on Android · Early access