'Clocks go back this weekend - so can my boss make me work an extra hour?'

Consumer rights expert Martyn James explains everything you need to know about your employment rights if you're working this weekend when the clocks go back

Fall back, spring forward! Oh wait… Is that the right way round? Okay, never mind.

The clocks are going back this weekend. Does that mean I lose an hour or get an extra hour in bed? When does it happen again? Does my phone change automatically? It’s the last Sunday of the month in October and that means the clocks go back one hour – at 2am, night owls – which means an extra hour in bed.

Many digital or online sources of time will change automatically, but not all. So don’t assume your boiler timer is changing manually. I must confess, I always get mixed up when British Summertime begins or ends. I may be a money expert, but I’m also dyslexic, so confusion often abounds in my household about such things.

While we may gain an hour, it’s also true that we lose out too, both monetarily and in our lifestyles. So for the column this week, I’m going to have a look at how the new time on the clock affects you personally.

What is British Summer Time (BST)?

Did you catch the Northern Lights recently? We often forget that the UK’s geographical landscape mean’s we’re further up the northern hemisphere than we realise. While we don’t necessarily have the light summers and long winter nights that our Scandinavian cousins experience, there’s a big difference in daylight hours depending on whether you live in Brighton or Inverness.

British Summer Time was introduced in 1916, though the exact way it worked took a while to settle in to the routine we know now. The introduction of BST is often blamed on campaigning by farmers, but BST was mainly introduced to ensure that factories could remain open longer during daylight hours.

Because time is measured from Greenwich (Greenwich Mean Time) we often assume the Brits brought in BST first. Though the idea was ours, it was Germany who beat us to it! Around the world, many countries have variations on BST – but billions of people don’t have to fiddle with the clocks twice a year, which can make things complicated for travellers.

As a general rule, around 70 countries, including the UK, Europe, North America and parts of Australia and New Zealand have changing time zones. But the rules are complicated, and it’s possible that some countries you visit will have big jumps in time depending on whether they move the clocks or not.

What’s the controversy with BST?

Do we even need BST at all? That’s a question that is becoming much more common in recent years as the way we live and work changes. There have been many attempts to ditch moving the clocks in the last decade or so, but these efforts have always run out of steam or been side-lined. Here are the ways the clocks can affect you.

Do I have to work an extra hour?

The devil, as they say, is in the detail. Check your contract. If the agreement states that you have to work a set number of hours – for example, seven hours plus a one-hour lunch break – then you may have to work your set hours even if the clocks change. However, if you have set timescales, like 9pm to 4am, then you may be able to get a paid hour off.

What if I’m working when the clocks change?

If you happen to be working when the clock goes back, can you go home an hour early? This is one of many conundrums posed by BST when the clock changes at 2am. If you work in a nightclub that closes at 3am, it may not be licenced beyond 2am, which could mean you have to go home early unless your business has a dispensation.

Complications can also arise if your contract says you get paid more money at a certain point in the early morning. Your work contract should have details on how BST affects your pay – after all, we’re been doing it for nearly 100 years – so if you aren’t sure then ask your boss.

Of course, many businesses open at this time in the morning are in the hospitality and leisure industry and you may not have a contract to speak of. Make sure you speak to your boss before Sunday morning if you’re not sure how you’ll be affected – or you aren’t sure when you can knock off. This is particularly important if your transport is affected and you’re likely to miss your last train or bus home.

Finally, as night workers, there are limits on the hours you can work. According to ACAS, night workers must not work longer than eight hours in a 24-hour period. So if you have to work an extra hour then you might be breaking the rules if it’s over this timescale.

Safety

Many of the arguments for both keeping or dropping BST are about safety. In very general terms, It’s more dangerous in the dark. This is a particular concern for children, older people and women and more vulnerable people walking by themselves. It’s not just the threat of criminals though.

There may be an increased chance of vehicle accidents when it's dark, lower temperatures create further risks and it can be easier to get lost or waylaid. However, if we abandon BST, then children in northern Scotland could potentially be going to school in darkness till 10am in the morning. So a lighter school run in the south has significant consequences in the north – and vice versa.

Extra costs and bigger bills

According to a recent study from Queen’s University Belfast, we could save £1.20 a day or more than £400 if the clocks didn’t change at this time of year. Looking in to the research, a larger proportion of the population would benefit from lighter evenings which would reduce our reliance on energy as a consequence of people leaving work earlier and using less energy around the home. Businesses would also benefit from the clocks not changing for the same reason, as would the public coffers with major savings on infrastructure costs.

Disturbed sleep

Surprisingly, there’s quite a bit of research out there that suggests that a change in our sleeping patterns can result in errors, cock ups and mistakes. Interestingly, our decision-making process can be thrown off by a change in the routine. Research has shown that BST changes can result in lower stock market returns due to sleep related errors. And disturbed sleep can be dangerous for everyone from machine operators to long distance drivers too.

There’s also some evidence that time changes can affect people’s mental health. This can be particularly acute if you are affected by things like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). So if you are susceptible, make sure you have your support networks in place.

Being dizzy

The clocks shift on a Sunday because traditionally it’s when most of us are off work. Or are we? Because the way we live has dramatically changed in recent years and many more people than before work on the weekends. Missing meetings and events are a very real risk for the unprepared.

Ask yourself when you last failed to realise the clocks were changing. Simply not realising that BST is changing can mean late arrivals to work or even wedding day disasters! As for me, I’m filming the new season of Rip Off Britain for BBC One at 8am on Saturday morning. Here’s hoping I don’t get mixed up!

Martyn James is a leading consumer rights campaigner, TV and radio broadcaster and journalist