Planning breaks in shift work.

The Working Hours Act sets breaks and rest periods

• Breaks (§ 4 ArbZG): at least 30 minutes for more than six and up to nine hours of work, 45 minutes for more than nine hours. Breaks can be split into blocks of at least 15 minutes each. Nobody may work for more than six hours in a row without a break.
• Rest period (§ 5 ArbZG): at least eleven uninterrupted hours after the end of the working day. In some sectors, such as care facilities, restaurants and transport companies, it may be shortened by up to one hour if this is balanced out elsewhere.
• Night and shift work (§ 6 ArbZG): working hours must be set according to established findings of occupational science on humane work design.

Stricter rules apply to young people, for example a 60-minute break for more than six hours of work (§ 11 JArbSchG). Collective agreements and works agreements can add further rules.

Legal information as of 20 October 2026, without guarantee. This is a summary of German law; the wording of the law applies.

BAuA names criteria for good shift schedules

The German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) describes how companies should organise night and shift work. Its recommendations include:

• as few consecutive night shifts as possible,
• forward rotation, i.e. early, then late, then night shift,
• after a run of night shifts, a rest phase as long as possible and not less than 24 hours,
• night shifts that end as early as possible,
• shift schedules that are clear and easy to plan around.

BAuA gives an example: if the late shift ends at 10 pm and the early shift starts at 6 am, eight hours of rest remain, minus the commute. In German workplaces, the works council or staff council has a say in how working hours are organised.

Shift weeks can be mapped with energy points

A shift schedule tells you when you work. It does not show what you plan outside working hours. In the mypacing day plan you assign energy points to your plans and set your own daily budget. The budget can differ from day to day, for example for early, late and night shift days.

Some people deliberately plan the days after a run of night shifts with few points and move errands to later days. Whether that suits you shows up in your review over a few weeks.

Your history shows sleep and resting heart rate across shift changes

Changing shifts mean changing sleep times. BAuA describes daytime sleep after night work as generally shorter and less restful. In mypacing, your history puts sleep duration, resting heart rate and HRV side by side over weeks, measured against your own usual range. This lets you see how your values develop after a run of night shifts.

In the check-in you add how your sleep felt. mypacing only describes these values. You draw your own conclusions.

Sources

All information on this page is based on legal texts, public authorities and manufacturers’ documentation. Most sources are in German. The description of mypacing features reflects the app as of 20 October 2026.

• § 4 Arbeitszeitgesetz (Ruhepausen), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 5 Arbeitszeitgesetz (Ruhezeit), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 6 Arbeitszeitgesetz (Nacht- und Schichtarbeit), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 11 Jugendarbeitsschutzgesetz (Ruhepausen), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• Gestaltung von Nacht- und Schichtarbeit, Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA). Accessed 20 October 2026.
• Leitfaden zur Einführung und Gestaltung von Nacht- und Schichtarbeit, Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA). Accessed 20 October 2026.

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