The parts of a warehouse payslip
- Basic hours at your standard rate
- Shift premium for nights, afternoons or weekends, as an extra amount per hour or a percentage
- Overtime, often at a higher multiplier after a certain number of hours
- Attendance or productivity bonus, which can be lost for one sick day or late start
- Holiday pay, which may be rolled up at 12.07% if you're on irregular hours through an agency
A worked example: a four-on-four-off month
On four 12-hour nights with a 1-hour unpaid break, a block is 44 paid hours. At £12.71 plus a £1.75 night premium, that's £636.24 a block. A calendar month can hold three or four blocks, so gross pay can swing by about £636.24 between months on the same rota. Don't mistake that for a missing shift, and don't let a missing shift hide in it either.
Agency workers and the 12-week rule
Many warehouses start new staff through agencies. After 12 calendar weeks in the same role with the same hirer, you're entitled to the same basic pay, shift premiums, overtime rates and holiday as directly employed operatives. Bonuses that are directly linked to the amount or quality of work you do are included too.
Searches and walking time
Time you're required to spend on site before or after your shift, such as security searches, mandatory briefings or putting on safety gear, can count as working time. If the queue for the search or the walk to clock out regularly takes 15 minutes, keep a record of it.
Track it shift by shift
Log each shift as you finish it in Shiftaan and you'll always know which ones are still unpaid. Start free, no card needed.
Common questions
When do agency warehouse workers get the same pay as permanent staff?
After 12 continuous calendar weeks in the same role with the same hirer.
Is the end-of-shift security search paid?
If it's required, time spent on it can count as working time for minimum wage purposes. Log your actual leaving time.
Why does my pay change every month on four-on-four-off?
Because the number of shifts falling in each calendar month changes.