What is clopening?
Clopening is scheduling the same employee to work a closing shift and then the next morning’s opening shift, leaving only a short rest period — often less than 8–11 hours — between the two shifts.
The word is a blend of “closing” and “opening.” It describes back-to-back shifts where someone locks up late at night and then returns a few hours later to open, getting very little sleep in between.
Clopening is common in restaurants and retail but is widely discouraged: it causes fatigue, higher error and accident rates, and burnout. Several “fair workweek” / predictive-scheduling laws now require a minimum rest period between shifts (commonly 9–11 hours) or extra “predictability” pay when an employee agrees to a clopening.
Avoiding clopenings is mostly a scheduling-visibility problem — it happens when whoever builds the schedule can’t easily see that the same person closes and opens. Software that flags insufficient rest between shifts prevents it automatically.
Restaurant example
A bartender closes Friday night and clocks out at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, then is scheduled to open at 9:00 a.m. the same morning — about 7.5 hours later. That back-to-back close-then-open is a clopening.
Frequently asked questions
Why is clopening bad?
Clopening leaves too little time to rest, commute, and sleep between shifts, which drives fatigue, mistakes, safety incidents, and turnover. Many predictive-scheduling laws now restrict it or require extra pay.
Is clopening illegal?
It is not illegal under federal law, but a growing number of cities and states with “fair workweek” laws require a minimum rest gap (often 9–11 hours) between shifts or mandate predictability pay when an employee works one. Check your local rules.
Related terms
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