Hours, rest breaks and the working week

Rest periods between working days

Your workers are entitled to regular rest periods between working days, which are in addition to any holiday entitlement.

Workers aged 18 and over should have a minimum 11 hours' rest between each working day, and shouldn't be forced to work more than six days in every seven, or 12 days in every 14. It's especially important this is considered when arranging shifts.

Exceptions can be made for:

• busy periods
• emergencies
• people working away from home

In these cases, rest periods can be accumulated and taken later.

When organising rest periods you need also to consider the maximum average working week which is normally 48 hours. See the page in this guide on working hours in a week.

Young workers, aged 16 and 17, must work no more than eight hours a day and 40 hours a week. These hours cannot be averaged out. They must also have 12 hours' rest between working days and two days off every week, normally two consecutive days. Only in exceptional circumstances can these rules be changed - see our guide on employing young people.

To comply with the regulations, you should:

• keep records of your workers' hours
• monitor all workers' hours
• keep records of all workers' opt-outs from the 48-hour limit

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• The rules about hours of work
• Working hours in a week
• Rest breaks during the working day
• Rest periods between working days
• Managing workers' hours
• Check if special exemptions apply to your business