A hard day's night - Shiftworking has long been used to provide anuthing up to 24-hour employee cover across the UK economy.. More recently, competitive pressures have forced companies to become more flexible in their use of labour and plant. Shiftworking provides employers with the means to maintain production, maximise the utilisation of expensive machinery, meet seasonal variations in demand and provide a round-the-clock customer service. The need for shiftworking, however, has to be balanced against the often considerable costs of implementing more flexible working patterns. Our survey of shiftworking arrangements in 46 organisations found a wide variety of shift patterns and premia.