While the actual tasks and responsibilities of a night manager may vary between different industries, in general he or she will supervise other employees working a night shift and deal with any managerial responsibilities delegated to him or her. This will often be different for different types of work so night managers working in retail will usually oversee incoming inventory and stocking, while night managers at hotels often help guests with issues overnight. In some businesses a night manager will also handle other types of common managerial tasks, such as dealing with payroll, employee scheduling, and making overnight deposits at banks.
A night manager will usually be responsible for properly running a business during a night shift, sometimes called a graveyard shift or third shift. In the hospitality industry, such as at a hotel, night managers usually oversee the work of other night shift employees while also helping guests with checking in or any other needs they may have. This can include notifying maintenance of any issues such as replacing light bulbs or cleaning up spills, as well as answering calls to the desk, helping guests with anything they may need, and setting reservations for future guests.
Large retail stores will often pay a night manager to either run a store while open overnight or to work with an overnight crew to receive inventory and stock shelves. The manager will not only oversee the operations of a store that remains open, but also ensure that associates are continuing to work overnight. There can be a tendency for employees to see a night shift as an opportunity to not work hard or take longer breaks and lunches; having a night manager around usually helps prevent this type of attitude and ensure employee productivity.
A night manager may also be responsible for dealing with basic managerial aspects of his or her position. This usually includes scheduling for night shift associates, handling payroll issues, making overnight deposits for the company, and ensuring the business is ready to resume daytime operations in the morning. Since many businesses are closed at night, customer interaction may be much less frequent for night managers, so completion of tasks may be of higher importance for him or her.
There can be certain perks associated with working the night shift. For example, a night manager may receive slightly higher pay than other managers. Hotels will often provide night managers with free rooms as well, to compensate them for the overnight hours, and businesses such as hospitals may also provide night workers and managers with free meals. Some businesses may not have a night manager, even when the business is operational overnight; this is usually true of companies with only one or two employees working overnight.