A campaign is being launched to improve the physical and mental health of the growing army of nightshift workers.

The Co-op called on employers to show a “duty of care” for the seven million people working at night across the UK, 54% of whom were identified as key workers at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Co-op, in partnership with the Wellcome Trust and Liminal Space, has made a number of suggestions to help address the health and social issues being created by the move towards a 24-hour society, including moves to raise the profile of night workers.

The retailer added that companies should be held legally responsible for the consequences of night work unless mitigating action is taken.

Andy Perry, Co-op’s Supply Chain and Logistics Director, said: “Sleep is something that unites us all – we all need it and we all know how terrible we can feel without enough of it.

“Yet whilst our round-the-clock culture is propped up by a growing number of people who work through the night, their contribution to society goes largely ignored.

“It is essential that we, as employers, do everything in our power to establish a recognised framework of best practice which places the interests of nightshift workers at its heart and that policy is put in place to protect their physical and mental health.”

Co-op research shows that nightshift workers are twice as likely as others to miss out on key family events.