Rest breaks

The Working Time Regulations 1998 give adult workers three rest entitlements: an uninterrupted break of at least 20 minutes when the working day is longer than six hours; a daily rest of 11 consecutive hours between shifts; and a weekly rest of 24 hours in each week, which can instead be taken as 48 hours in each fortnight.

How it plays out on a rota

• The 20-minute break should fall during the shift, not bolted on at the start or end, and the worker must be free of duties — covering the till while eating doesn't count.
• Breaks are unpaid unless the contract says otherwise.
• The 11-hour daily rest is the rule that catches close-then-open patterns: a late finish followed by an early start can leave too little rest in between.
• Workers under 18 have stronger rights — a 30-minute break after four and a half hours and 12 hours' daily rest.

Compensatory rest

Some shift-work situations — changeover days on rotating patterns, split shifts in hospitality and care — allow the normal rest to be interrupted or postponed. The worker is then entitled to an equivalent period of compensatory rest taken soon after. The principle is simple: rest delayed, not rest lost.

Working Time Regulations 1998, regulations 10–12 (rest) and 24 (compensatory rest). Guidance from ACAS and the Health and Safety Executive.

Related terms

• Working Time Regulations
• Night work
• Rota