I had one of my employees work the night shift one night, and then come back to work five hours later to work the day shift the next day. Is that legal?
It may not be. Some states (not all) have laws which require at least an eight-hour break between full-time shifts. In addition, some federal regulations may apply as well, such as those which require a truck driver to take an 8 hour break for sleep in every 24 hour period. Check your local state law or call your local wage and hour division of the state department of labor.
Source: Epstein, Becker & Green, New York, June 16, 1998.