Shift swaps: a simple policy that keeps the schedule fair and legal

Letting employees swap shifts turns a clash into a covered shift instead of a gap — as long as every swap still respects rest periods, hour limits and skills. A policy you can adopt, the checks to make before approving a swap, and how swaps work in 365shift.

Updated: 7 October 2026 365shift

Why have a swap policy

Lives change after the schedule is published. Without an agreed way to swap, a clash ends as a call-in or an empty post; with one, the employee finds their own cover and the manager only has to check it. A written policy also stops swaps being arranged in a group chat, where nobody checks rest or hours and the published schedule stops matching who actually turns up.

A policy in seven rules

Swaps are only between people who can do the same job — same post, same skills or licences.
Both people agree, in the app or in writing, not by word of mouth.
A manager approves every swap before it takes effect.
No swap once either shift has started.
Both shifts are in the same week, so weekly hours and days off can be checked.
A swap may not break the rest rules or take anyone above their weekly hours.
The published schedule is updated as soon as a swap is approved: the schedule is the record.

What to check before approving

Daily rest, for both people: at least 11 consecutive hours before and after each new shift (EU: Directive 2003/88/EC, article 3; UK: Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 10). Swapping an early shift for the late one the evening before is the usual way to break it.
Weekly rest, for both people: in the EU, 24 hours of uninterrupted rest plus the 11 hours of daily rest in every seven days (article 5); in the UK, 24 hours in each seven days, or the 14-day alternative (regulation 11).
Hours: the swap does not take anyone above their contract or above an average of 48 hours a week (Directive, article 6).
Pay: moving hours from one person to another can create premium hours. In Greece, for example, hours above 40 a week are paid extra, from +20% (Labour Code, article 194).
Skills and site: the colleague can actually do that job at that location.
In Greece, a change to anyone’s working time is declared to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ before they start work (Labour Code, article 581) — and a swap changes it for both people.

How swaps work in 365shift

Swaps are switched on in the company settings; until then they are off.
An employee picks one of their shifts in the mobile app and asks a colleague for one of theirs; the colleague accepts or declines.
The database refuses a swap of a shift that has started or been cancelled, of a shift the person is not on, and of two shifts in different weeks (Monday to Sunday).
When a swap changes either person’s hours that week, it is not refused but flagged for the approver, with both people’s totals before and after.
Agreed swaps wait for approval: “Approve and swap” changes the two shifts at once, or you approve and change the calendar yourself.
Each step notifies the people involved: the colleague when asked; the approvers and the requester when the colleague accepts; both people when the swap is approved or rejected.
A swap does not check rest between shifts — check it before approving, as above.

Frequently asked questions

Should employees be allowed to swap shifts?

Yes, with rules: swaps only between people who can do the same job, agreed by both, approved by a manager, never after a shift has started, and only when rest periods and hour limits still hold.

Who should approve a shift swap?

A manager or administrator, after checking rest between shifts, weekly hours and skills for both people. Approval should update the published schedule at the same moment.

Can a shift swap break working-time rules?

Yes. Swapping an early shift for the late shift the evening before can leave less than the 11 consecutive hours of daily rest required in the EU and UK (Directive 2003/88/EC, article 3; Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 10).

Does a shift swap have to be declared in Greece?

A swap changes both people’s working time, and in Greece a change is declared to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ before the employee starts work (Labour Code, article 581).

Shift rosters and the Digital Work Card in one system

365shift builds the roster against your rules, declares it to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ as the working-time organisation and files the work card from employees’ mobile clock-ins.

See pricing

Sources

The legal references in this guide rely on the official texts below. It is not legal advice; for your case, ask your accountant or lawyer.