Table of contents

What is night work in temporary work?

In order to be considered night work, a job must be carried out over specific time periods set by law. This applies to people on fixed-term or permanent contracts as well as to temporary workers. These ranges of hours are as follows:
- the shift must start at least at 21:00;
- it must end by 7 a.m. at the latest.
In addition, the work session must last at least 9 hours, particularly in the midnight-5am period.

For a worker to be considered as temporary night workerIn order for this to be the case, the hours must occur fairly frequently in a given week or year.

There are also maximum lengths of night work that cannot be exceeded. For example, daily night work must not exceed 8 hours per 24 hours.

Please note, however, that these hours are not valid for jobs in the hotel and catering industry, which are covered by a different collective agreement.

What are the pay obligations for temporary night work?

Very often there is an increase in pay when working at night. This increase depends on the agreements applied in the sector of activity, the frequency of night work, and the time between when you are offered night work and when you actually work at night. Here are two examples:
- A temporary worker works during the day in a factory in 3×8. Exceptionally, he is asked to come to work at night on one of his days off that same evening. The temporary worker will receive an extra 60 % in pay;
- a temporary worker works regularly or occasionally between 10 pm and 5 am. He will be paid 30 % more than his daytime hours for the same work as a temp.

Are there any other advantages to working as a temp at night?

Other possible benefits of temporary night work are compensatory rests. Depending on the number of hours worked at night in a year, additional paid rest days are compulsorily granted.

Some people also prefer to work at night because this rhythm suits them. This makes it easier for them to go to public places during the day that are always closed when you work during the day.

What are the disadvantages of temporary night work?

Although some people are able to cope with night work on temporary, fixed-term or permanent contracts, it is a rhythm that is contrary to our biological rhythm. Night work over a long period of time can therefore have deleterious effects on physical or mental health. Hence the strict regulation of night work, whether temporary or permanent, to limit these negative impacts.

Temporary night work can also be difficult to reconcile with certain lifestyles. Each jobseeker assesses whether the advantages of night work are worth the disadvantages according to their own criteria. In any case, it is always possible to refuse temporary night work.

Is it easy to find a night job as a temp?

There are many temporary night jobs that are not filled. These are often jobs in the health sector, industry, security or the hotel and catering industry. It is possible to find temporary night work jobs through any temporary employment agency or via the internet.

How to find a night job as a temp?

Here are some easy ways you can find a night job as a temp:

1/ look at the online offers on temporary employment agencies that highlight night-time jobs;

2/ go to all the temporary employment agencies in your geographical area and tell them that you are looking for night work;

3/ register on temp agency websites to receive email notifications when new night work jobs are posted.