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11 hours’ rest in the shift schedule: where it slips, and how to keep it
Where the 11-hour rest between two shifts breaks in practice (closing then opening, Sunday to Monday, another store) and how Postorunner checks it.
Part of the guide: Shift scheduling for businesses with several stores: the guide
In a business with shifts from early morning to late at night, the rule that breaks most easily without anyone noticing is the rest between two shifts. The EU Working Time Directive (2003/88/EC), which Greek law incorporates, gives every worker at least 11 consecutive hours of rest in every 24 hours. In Greek law the rule now sits in article 171 of the Labour Code (Presidential Decree 62/2025).
In practice, at least 11 hours must pass between the end of one shift and the start of the next. Whoever closes at 23:00 can’t open the next morning before 10:00. The same goes after a long day: if a 13-hour day ends at 19:30, the next shift can’t start before 06:30. And around a day off, rest should as a rule reach 35 hours (weekly rest).
Where the 11 hours slip
They are rarely lost because someone ignored the rule. They are lost where the schedule can’t be seen whole at a glance.
Closing, then opening the next day
The most common mistake: an evening shift until 23:00 and a morning shift at 06:30. That is only 7.5 hours of rest. In a week with dozens of shifts per store, a pair like that hides easily.
From Sunday to Monday
When each week is made on its own, Sunday’s shift belongs to the “old” schedule and Monday’s to the “new” one. If the check only looks at the week being made, the gap between them is never measured.
A shift at another store
When someone covers a shift at another store, their two shifts sit in two different schedules, and each store’s manager sees only their own.
Changes by hand
The schedule comes out right, and then it changes: a day of leave, a sick day, a swap. Every change is a chance to lose the 11 hours, if the check only runs when the week is made.
How Postorunner checks it
In Postorunner, 11 hours’ rest is a rule that is never broken, and it is checked at every one of those points:
- Between any two shifts of the same person, when the week is made.
- From Sunday to Monday, together with the week before.
- Across all stores: a shift at another store counts just like one at their own.
- On save, not only when the week is made: a change by hand can’t break the 11 hours.
The one exception is a shift swap between two colleagues with the same role. It is never blocked, but if it breaks the rest a warning appears, such as “TUE: only 7.5 hours’ rest before the shift (min. 11)”, so you can decide.
When nobody at the store can
Sometimes the 11 hours, together with days off, leave and roles, mean that nobody at the store can legally take a shift. Postorunner doesn’t force it: it leaves it as an empty slot, so it shows.
From there, “Pick from another store” lists the people available in the group’s other stores, and only those who can legally work it: with the right role, not on a day off, with 11 hours’ rest and within their contract.
A quick check for your own schedule
Before you send out the week’s schedule, look at three things:
- Whoever closes, and whether they open the next day: their shift starts no earlier than 11 hours after closing.
- Each person’s Sunday shift, next to their Monday shift in the new week.
- Anyone who also works at a second store, with both stores’ shifts side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Does the rest from Sunday to Monday count?
Yes. The 11 hours count between any two shifts, and Postorunner also checks the step from the week before.
Can I make a change that breaks the 11 hours?
Not with a change by hand, because the rules are also checked on save. The one exception is a shift swap between two colleagues: it isn’t blocked, but it shows a warning so you can decide.
What happens when nobody at the store can take a shift?
The shift stays an empty slot, and “Pick from another store” lists only those in the group’s other stores who can legally work it.
Sources
- Labour Code (Presidential Decree 62/2025), article 171: Daily rest (in Greek)
- Directive 2003/88/EC concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time (EUR-Lex)
This article describes the general rule and how Postorunner checks it; it is not legal advice. The law also provides for exceptions, so for your own case, talk to your accountant or legal adviser.