Shift model
A shift model describes how working time is distributed across the day and the week and in what order the shifts rotate.
As of:September 2026
The common forms
Two-shift operations with an early and a late shift cover roughly 06:00 to 22:00 and do not touch night time. Three-shift operations with a night shift cover 24 hours and trigger the rules in section 6 ArbZG. Rotating shifts mean the same person works through the shifts in turn.
Permanent night work is a case of its own: anyone working only at night does not rotate but carries the heaviest burden. The case law regards a higher premium as appropriate there than for rotating shifts including nights.
Why rotation runs forwards
The order early, late, night follows the natural daily rhythm and is regarded in occupational science as easier to bear than backward rotation. Section 6(1) ArbZG expressly requires the working time of night and shift workers to be set in accordance with established findings of occupational science on humane work design.
That is a legal duty, not a recommendation. A plan that puts an early shift after a night shift is open to challenge under working time law, and it almost inevitably breaches the rest period as well.
MetronHR works these figures out itself: time accounts, premiums, overtime and the limits of the German Working Hours Act, with every booking.
What hangs on the model
Where there is a night portion: the entitlement to an occupational health examination, the right to be transferred under section 6(4) ArbZG, and the shorter balancing period of one month or four weeks in section 6(2) ArbZG.
Where there is Sunday operation: substitute days of rest and the 15 free Sundays. For rotating shifts, often also collectively agreed allowances tied to the model rather than to the individual hour.
Example: forward rotation over two weeks
- Week 1: Monday to Friday early shift 06:00 to 14:00.
- Week 2: Monday to Friday late shift 14:00 to 22:00.
- Week 3: Monday to Friday night shift 22:00 to 06:00.
- More than eleven hours lie between the Friday early shift and the Monday late shift, so the change holds.
Common mistake
The change from the night shift to the early shift gets placed over a weekend and therefore looks harmless. Although there are enough hours between the shift ending at 06:00 on Saturday and starting at 06:00 on Monday, backward rotation remains the worse choice in occupational science.
Further reading
- Section 6(1) ArbZG
- „The working time of night and shift workers is to be set in accordance with established findings of occupational science on humane work design.“
- Section 6(2) to (5) ArbZG, section 11 ArbZG
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
Night work
Night work is any work covering more than two hours of night time. Under section 2(3) ArbZG, night time runs from 23:00 to 06:00, and in bakeries and confectioneries from 22:00 to 05:00.
Shift allowance
A shift allowance compensates for the burden of changing working times, for instance in two- or three-shift operations. It attaches to the shift model, not to a particular time of day.
Duty roster
The roster sets out who works when. Legally it is the exercise of the employer's right to give instructions on the timing of working time.
Substitute rest day
A substitute day of rest is a work-free working day that has to be granted for employment on a Sunday or public holiday. It is not a voluntary benefit but the statutory condition of the exception.
Staffing level
The staffing level is the number of people a shift or a time window needs as a minimum. In many areas a qualification requirement comes on top.
Qualification matrix
A qualification matrix sets out which person may perform which activity. It is the basis of any planning in which not everyone can do everything.