What does "off shift" mean?

When the term 'off shift' is used there are two possible definitions:

'off shift' can refer to work shifts that are not traditional daytime shift hours.

'off shift' can also refer to time when someone is not working their scheduled work shift.

In rare examples it may also mean doing unpaid work after your shift has ended. Possibly as a result of being late or disciplinary action.

Here is an example of an 'off shift' job posting from indeed, stating the type of shift hours to expect:

In this second example we can see the job post states the off shift hours will be either 2PM till 11PM or 10PM till 7AM.

Any shift with unsociable hours can be classified as off shift. As a result off shifts sometimes recieve extra pay:

Not working definition

People who work shifts (like at a factory or hospital) have certain hours they are "on shift" - meaning at work.

And then they have other hours when they are not at work in between - those are called "off shift hours."

When is it used?

The term is used in shift work scheduling when employees have rotating or variable work shifts, rather than a standard 9-5 type schedule.

"Off shift" indicates time periods when an employee is not actively working their assigned shift.

For example, if a person works night shifts from 7pm to 3am, their "off shift" hours would be from around 3am to 7pm when they are not at work.

Employees can use their off shift time to commute, take care of personal responsibilities, rest/sleep, and generally do things outside of their allotted working hours.