ArbZG-compliant shift scheduling
ArbZG-compliant scheduling means creating shift plans that comply with the German Working Time Act (ArbZG) — in particular the daily maximum working time (§ 3), rest breaks (§ 4), the minimum 11-hour rest period between two shifts (§ 5), and rest on Sundays and public holidays (§ 9).
What the Working Time Act requires for shift plans
The Working Time Act (ArbZG) sets the legal framework for every shift plan. The key requirements for scheduling are:
- Maximum working time (§ 3): 8 hours per working day, extendable to up to 10 hours if the average over six calendar months / 24 weeks does not exceed 8 hours.
- Rest breaks (§ 4): at least 30 minutes for more than 6 hours of work, at least 45 minutes for more than 9 hours.
- Rest period (§ 5): at least 11 hours of uninterrupted rest after work; reducible to 10 hours in certain industries with compensation.
- Sunday and public-holiday rest (§ 9): work on Sundays and public holidays is generally prohibited, with statutory exceptions (§ 10).
The most common violations in shift planning
In practice, ArbZG violations usually occur at the same points:
- Too short a rest period when switching from a late to an early shift.
- Exceeding the daily maximum working time through spontaneous extensions.
- Missing or too-short breaks on long shifts.
- Too many consecutive night shifts without adequate compensation.
The § 5 ArbZG rest period in practice
There must generally be at least 11 hours between the end of one shift and the start of the next. If a late shift ends at 22:00, the next shift may start no earlier than 09:00 the following day.
In certain areas — such as hospitals, care, hospitality or agriculture — the rest period may be reduced by up to one hour to 10 hours, provided this is compensated within one calendar month / four weeks by another rest period of at least 12 hours.
Documentation and record-keeping duties
Employers are obliged to record their employees’ working hours. Audit-proof, gap-free documentation makes it easier to provide evidence to authorities and protects the employer during inspections.
How vigotime automates ArbZG compliance
vigotime checks every schedule automatically against the ArbZG rules (including maximum working time, breaks and the § 5 rest period) and against collective agreements, flagging violations before publishing. The optimization solver (Google OR-Tools CP-SAT) only produces compliant plans, so violations do not arise in the first place.
Frequently asked questions about ArbZG-compliant scheduling
At least 11 uninterrupted hours under § 5 ArbZG. In certain industries it may be reduced to 10 hours if compensated within one calendar month / four weeks.
A maximum of 8 hours per working day; extendable to up to 10 hours if the average over six calendar months does not exceed 8 hours (§ 3 ArbZG).
At least 30 minutes for more than 6 hours of work, and at least 45 minutes for more than 9 hours (§ 4 ArbZG).
Yes. Employers are obliged to record working hours; audit-proof documentation makes it easier to provide evidence to authorities.
Yes. vigotime checks plans automatically against ArbZG and collective agreements and prevents non-compliant assignments during creation.