Readiness for work
Readiness for work is the time at the workplace in which no work arises but work has to be reckoned with at any moment. The case law describes it as alert attention in a state of relaxation.
As of:September 2026
Distinguishing it from a break and from stand-by duty
Unlike with a rest break, it is not fixed in advance that no work will be required. Readiness for work is therefore working time and not a break, even where in fact there is nothing to do.
Unlike with stand-by duty, the person is not waiting on standby but at the workplace and in the workflow. The gatekeeper with no visitors, the sales assistant with no customers, the driver waiting at the loading bay: all readiness for work.
MetronHR works these figures out itself: time accounts, premiums, overtime and the limits of the German Working Hours Act, with every booking.
Why the classification matters in practice
Where readiness for work regularly falls within working time to a substantial extent, daily working time may be extended beyond ten hours. Section 7(1) no. 1 ArbZG allows that only on the basis of a collective agreement or a works agreement based on one.
Without collective bargaining coverage, the limits in section 3 ArbZG stand. The familiar line "there is usually nothing going on here anyway" does not carry the extension.
Example: gatekeeper duty
- A shift from 18:00 to 06:00, twelve hours.
- Of that, about nine hours with no specific task, so readiness for work.
- Without a collective agreement, at most ten hours are permitted, so the shift is impermissible.
- With a collective basis under section 7(1) no. 1 ArbZG, twelve hours are possible.
Common mistake
Readiness for work gets booked as a break because there happened to be nothing to do. That breaches section 4 ArbZG and at the same time underpays, because readiness for work has to be paid.
Further reading
- Section 7(1) no. 1 ArbZG, section 3 ArbZG, section 4 ArbZG
- Section 21a(3) ArbZG for driving personnel in road transport
This is not legal advice; for a specific case at your workplace you are better off asking someone qualified to give it.
Published by: AMNAU GmbH
Editorial responsibility: Ugur Aydogan, Product development.
Last reviewed: September 2026
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Related terms
On-call duty
Stand-by duty means staying at a place determined by the employer in order to start work immediately when needed. It counts as working time in full.
Stand-by duty
With on-call duty the person has to be reachable and take up work when needed, but may stay where they choose. It in principle does not count towards working time, but the actual call-outs do.
Rest break
A rest break is an interruption of work fixed in advance in which no work is expected. It does not count towards working time and is as a rule not paid.
Working time
Working time is the time from the start to the end of work excluding rest breaks. Where somebody works for several employers, the times are added together.