Shift schedule: template, rules and notice periods

What a shift schedule is and what it must contain

Under section 30 of the Working Hours Act (872/2019), the employer must draw up a work shift list. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment's guide to the Working Hours Act, the list must show the start and end times of each employee's regular working hours and the times of daily rest periods.

The list is usually drawn up for the whole period over which working time is averaged, and it can be made in the same document as the working time averaging plan. If the irregularity of the work makes it difficult to draw up a long list, it must be made for as long a period as possible, but for at least a week.

Owing to the irregular nature of the work, the Regional State Administrative Agency may grant an exemption from drawing up the list, in whole or in part.

Notice period: no later than a week before

The work schedule must be provided to employees in writing no later than one week before the start of the period it covers.

The employer does not need to ask employees' opinions about every list. However, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment's guide, the employee or their representative must be given an opportunity to be heard if they request it.

Can shifts be changed

A published list can be changed with the employee's consent. Without consent, the employer may change the list only for a weighty, previously unforeseeable reason related to the organisation of the work.

In practice, a change should always be recorded: who changed it, when and why, and whether the employee has consented. A record makes later working-time bookkeeping easier and clarifies any disagreements.

Rest periods that the schedule must satisfy

The list is not ready until the rest periods have been checked. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment's working time act guide, these are the main rules:

Daily rest: when a shift is longer than six hours, the employee must be given a break of at least one hour during which they may leave the workplace. A shorter break of at least 30 minutes can be agreed. In shift and period work, a rest period of at least half an hour or an opportunity to eat must be provided.
Daily rest: at least 11 hours of uninterrupted rest within the 24 hours following the start of a work shift. In periodic work it can be shortened to nine hours because of work arrangements, and in certain situations shortening to seven hours is possible.
Weekly rest: once every seven days, at least 35 hours of uninterrupted rest, preferably including Sunday. It can also be arranged as an average of 35 hours over 14 days, as long as each seven-day period includes at least 24 hours of rest.

A collective agreement may deviate

The Working Hours Act is a general law. According to the ministry's guide, a collective agreement can deviate from many of its provisions, and many collective agreements contain their own provisions on, for example, drawing up and announcing the work shift list and rest periods. Always check your own sector's collective agreement first. Generally binding collective agreements can be found on Finlex.

If you are unsure which rule applies to your workplace, you can get advice from the occupational safety and health advisory service, an employers' association or a trade union.

Template: weekly shift schedule

Below is a fictional outline for a weekly schedule. Copy it into a spreadsheet and fill in the parts in square brackets. Mark the start, end and break for each shift so that rest periods are easy to check.

Template – copy and edit

SHIFT SCHEDULE | [Company / site] | Week [no.], [dd.mm.]–[dd.mm.yyyy]

Published: [dd.mm.yyyy] (at the latest one week before the start of the period) | Author: [name]

Name | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Total hours

Matti Meikäläinen | [07–15, break 11–11.30] | [07–15] | V | V | [14–22] | [14–22] | V | [h]

Maija Meikäläinen | V | [10–18, break 13–14] | [10–18] | [10–18] | V | O | [09–17] | [h]

Abbreviations: V = day off, L = annual leave, K = training

Checked: daily rest [ok], weekly rest [ok], breaks [ok]

Changes: [date] | [whose shift] | [old → new] | [reason] | Employee's consent: [yes/no]

Checklist before publishing

According to the TEM guide, an employer must keep records of hours worked and the compensation paid for them. When the planned schedule and the actual hours are in one place, overtime and extra work are easier to calculate. Tutkat.fi has a tool for this, "Shift schedule and hours calculator", but the template above works well as a starting point.

The schedule covers the whole period and at least a week.
Each shift has a start, an end and a break time.
There must be at least 11 hours of rest between shifts, unless a collective agreement or the law allows otherwise.
Everyone has weekly free time.
The schedule is published at least a week before the period begins.
Hours worked are recorded in the working time records.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance must the shift roster be given?

Under the Working Hours Act, the work shift list must be given in writing no later than a week before the start of the period. A collective agreement may contain a different provision.

May an employer change a shift that has already been published?

Yes, with the employee's consent. Without consent, a change is possible only for a weighty reason that could not have been foreseen and that relates to the arrangement of the work.

How long must the rest between shifts be?

The general rule is at least 11 hours of uninterrupted rest within the 24 hours following the start of a shift. In period work and some other situations, rest can be shortened.

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Sources

The article is general information and does not replace the guidance of an authority, a lawyer or an adviser. Check up-to-date information from the sources.

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