Working-time guide · 18 July 2026
The eleven-hour rest period between shifts
How to read the gap between one working day and the next, and why weekly totals can conceal a late-to-early problem.
German working-time compliance is not decided only by adding hours at the end of the week. Section 5 of the Arbeitszeitgesetz generally requires an uninterrupted rest period of at least eleven hours after the end of daily work. A shift ending at 22:30 followed by one beginning at 08:00 therefore raises a different issue from a long weekly total.
Find the real end and start
The roster may not capture closing tasks, handover, required changing time or a call taken after leaving. Start with actual records and identify which activities count as working time. Ordinary commuting is usually treated differently, but required travel during the working day can call for closer examination.
Check whether an exception applies
The Act permits limited reductions in specified sectors, including certain care, hospitality, transport and broadcasting contexts, commonly with compensatory rest. A sector label is not enough. The exact exception, applicable collective arrangements and compensation period need to be identified.
Review the sequence, not one pair
Mark every finish and next start across the rota. A recurring pattern may reveal that the nominal eleven-hour gap exists only if workers leave precisely on time. Build in a realistic handover margin rather than relying on an idealised endpoint.
Record the correction
If a proposed rota falls short, note how it was changed and who approved the revised pattern. Where an allowed reduction is used, record the legal or collective basis and the compensatory rest. That makes the next rota easier to check and gives workers a comprehensible explanation.