Sysco GB, the UK’s largest foodservice supplier, has a large nighttime workforce who needed support with their sleep and circadian health. They reached out to us at Night Club – as experts in improving night worker wellbeing – to help them launch an interactive, science-based sleep and wellbeing programme across more than 20 UK sites, giving night workers practical tools and creating an ongoing network of Sleep Champions for peer support.
“Indications are that the programme has already improved retention rates and employee engagement” – Sysco GB
How it worked
Sysco first piloted Night Club in 2022-23. At two large depots they hosted an interactive sleep exhibition, staffed by Night Club sleep experts running interactive workshops for small teams. The pilot proved both the scale of the opportunity and the appetite for action: 86% would recommend Night Club and staff shared vital insights for Sysco leaders about the experiences of night work and how they could be supported to thrive.
In 2025, Sysco commissioned a full Night Club programme rollout. From March to August 2025, Night Club supported locations, with expert facilitators (including clinical psychologists, nutrition experts and sleep scientists) running interactive workshops at night. The Night Club curriculum focused on five key learning areas – Chronotype, Environment, Light, Diet & Exercise, and Mental Health, combining practical demonstrations with non-judgemental advice and easily actionable tips for better sleep.
What was the impact?
Over 1,200 colleagues have been reached to date – 90% attended in-person sessions, and the remainder were online. Of those, 87% said they learned something new to improve the quality of their sleep, and more than two thirds of participants expressed that the presence of Night Club shows that their employer has a positive interest in their wellbeing.
Many participants have since reported major sleep improvements – including a colleague commenting that ‘thanks to Night Club I am sleeping an extra 2 hours per day!’
Night Club provided benchmarked data on sleep duration and quality for participants, and collated feedback and insight themes from workers to inform Sysco’s wider initiatives to create the best working environment for its night shift.
Sysco’s report on the intervention indicates that the programme has already improved retention rates and employee engagement.
Embedding change for the long term
Sysco has now created a network of 40 trained Night Club Sleep Champions, including four regional leads. These ambassadors share evidence-based sleep tips, motivate peers and induct new night workers, ensuring the benefits are embedded and that a healthier and safer night shift endures.
Conclusion
Sysco’s partnership with Night Club demonstrates that investing in night shift wellbeing is not only about the employer duty of care, but also about creating a strategic advantage by boosting engagement and retention while reducing health and safety risks.
Katrina Simpson-Haines, Sysco GB’s Human Resources Director, said:
“The night shift is often seen as 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”
About the author:
Finn Paul is Project Manager at Night Club. an award-winning initiative designed to help businesses reduce the risks of night work and support shift workers in improving their sleep, health, engagement and performance. From live, in-person training experiences delivered at night, to management and leadership support that embeds a culture of wellbeing within organisations – Night Club’s unique interactive approach delivers proven results.
Trusted by over 40 major organisations, including Transport for London, Sysco, Carlsberg Britvic and ISS – Night Club has already helped 14,000+ night workers stay healthy, safe and engaged.
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