Minimum rest period
Workforce Management Glossary
Minimum rest period
What is a minimum rest period?
When building rosters managers have to account for compliance matters such as work and rest requirements. As such minimum rest periods dictate the breaks that workers are entitled to based on the duration of their shift. These requirements will also highlight the rest time needed between shifts.
Why are minimum rest periods important?
Minimum rest periods are important for a number of reasons. Firstly, there are compliance measures to consider. When managers adhere to labour laws they are ensuring that their roster is compliant and therefore satisfactory.
On the other hand, by enforcing minimum rest periods, whether they be breaks while at work or breaks in between shifts, employers are making sure that they are providing the foundation for employees to rest and recover.
Enforcing minimum rest periods helps to reduce things like employee burnout. In addition, rested employees are more productive which plays a key role in increasing workplace culture and decreasing employee turnover rates.
How can a business enforce minimum rest periods?
Minimum rest requirements will change depending on the nature of the tasks being performed and also the length of the shift. These variables combine to make rostering a complex process.
With Roubler’s rostering software, minimum rest periods and break times are automatically taken into account. All of which works to create a roster that is compliant without hindering workforce optimisation.