Sysco GB, the UK’s largest foodservice supplier, has introduced a programme to support night workers across its British business.

Following research that highlighted the challenges night shift workers face around poor nutrition and sleep disorders, as well as reports of mental health issues, Sysco has created a comprehensive programme to support colleagues working through the night, helping to create a better and healthier experience of overnight working.

Sysco GB has introduced the programme across 24 sites so far, training more than 1,100 colleagues. It has also introduced 40 sleep champions, including four lead sleep champions to represent each of the business’ regions, who will provide ongoing support to colleagues.

In conjunction with specialist training provider, The Liminal Space, Sysco GB has built a comprehensive, immersive training programme to address some of the specific needs of the night shift. The programme has been designed to tackle individual issues as well as providing data that will allow Sysco GB to make positive changes.

Units within the training programme include diet and exercise, mental health, chronotype (propensity for the individual to sleep at a particular time during a 24-hour period), light and environment. These are delivered in an immersive and interactive way through physical examples, quizzes and activities to maximise engagement, and all of the sessions contain practical tips and handouts such as recipe suggestions.

Katrina Simpson-Haines, Sysco GB’s Human Resources Director, said: “As a child, my mum was a night shift worker as well as a single parent, so supporting our night workers is particularly important to me. I’ve seen first-hand the pressures they are under and how challenging it can sometimes be.

“Often, the night shift can be the forgotten shift, but in our business, they are the largest cohort of colleagues and it’s important that we provide them with the support they need for their unique challenges. Night working is notoriously difficult and providing colleagues with some tried and tested approaches to managing sleep patterns and nutrition should help them to have a better experience both at home and in work.”

As well as supporting the colleagues at each site, early indications are that the programme has already improved retention rates and employee engagement.