Rota software can build a week of shifts in seconds, fill gaps as demand changes and cancel shifts when a forecast drops. For people on zero hours or low-hours contracts, that can mean little notice of when they work and lost pay when shifts disappear. This page sets out the law in England, Wales and Scotland on software-set schedules: the rules that apply today, and the new rights in the Employment Rights Act 2025, most of which were not yet in force on 31 October 2026. For how scheduling tools work in practice, see AI in scheduling and shift allocation.
The short answer: today, workers are entitled to minimum daily and weekly rest and to rest breaks, whatever the rota says, and exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts are unenforceable. The 2025 Act adds a right to be offered guaranteed hours, a right to reasonable notice of shifts and a right to payment for shifts cancelled, moved or cut short at short notice. On 31 October 2026 those three sections were in force only so that the government can consult and make the regulations that set the details, not as rights workers can enforce.
Rules that apply now: rest
A scheduling system cannot plan away the Working Time Regulations 1998. A worker is entitled to:
- a rest period of at least eleven consecutive hours in each 24-hour period (Working Time Regulations 1998, reg 10), which matters for "clopening" shifts that end late and start early;
- an uninterrupted rest period of at least 24 hours in each seven-day period, or, if the employer so decides, two 24-hour periods or one 48-hour period in each 14 days (reg 11);
- a rest break of at least 20 uninterrupted minutes where daily working time is more than six hours, unless a collective or workforce agreement provides otherwise (reg 12).
Young workers have longer rest entitlements; see young workers and rota software. For the 48-hour average week and night work limits, see working time limits. Shop and betting workers can also opt out of Sunday work. These rights belong to workers, not only employees; see employee, worker or self-employed for who counts.
Rules that apply now: exclusivity
Under section 27A of the Employment Rights Act 1996, any term of a zero hours contract that prohibits the worker from working under another contract, or from doing so without the employer's consent, is unenforceable against the worker (ERA 1996, s27A). A zero hours contract here means one where work depends on the employer making it available and there is no certainty that any will be.
Coming: the right to guaranteed hours
Section 1 of the 2025 Act inserts new sections into the 1996 Act requiring an employer to make a guaranteed hours offer to a qualifying worker after the end of each reference period (Employment Rights Act 2025, s1). A qualifying worker is one employed during the reference period on a zero hours contract or arrangement, or on a contract guaranteeing no more than a specified number of hours, who worked more than their minimum. The reference period, the specified number of hours and other conditions are left to regulations.
Coming: reasonable notice of shifts
Section 2 requires an employer to give reasonable notice of a shift it requests or requires a zero hours worker, or a worker on a specified kind of low-hours contract, to work (Employment Rights Act 2025, s2). Notice given less than a specified amount of time before the shift is presumed not to be reasonable unless the contrary is shown. The specified amount of time is again for regulations.
Coming: payment for cancelled, moved or curtailed shifts
Section 3 requires an employer to pay a specified amount to a worker each time it cancels, moves or curtails a qualifying shift at short notice, where the shift was one the employer required, one the worker agreed to work at the employer's request, or one the worker suggested and the employer accepted (Employment Rights Act 2025, s3). Exceptions and the amount are set out in further sections and regulations. Section 4 makes similar provision for agency workers.
Commencement: what is and is not in force
The Employment Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/3) brought sections 1 to 3 into force on 6 January 2026 only "in so far as conferring a duty to consult or a power to make regulations" (SI 2026/3, reg 2(2)). On 31 October 2026 legislation.gov.uk listed no further commencement of those sections, so the guaranteed hours, shift notice and short-notice payment rights could not yet be enforced. The same regulations brought section 8, which widens the power to make rules about exclusivity terms in zero hours arrangements, fully into force. Check the current position before relying on any of this.
A rota engine that ignores requests linked to days of rest, prayer times or festivals can also raise discrimination questions; see religion or belief at work.
What employers and workers can do now
- Employers: set rest rules as hard constraints in the scheduling tool, not as warnings. Make sure each written statement of terms says whether hours vary and how that is decided. Record how much notice each shift was given and how often shifts are cancelled or cut, because the new rights will turn on exactly those facts. Look at the health effects of unpredictable rotas too; see AI and health and safety in the UK.
- Workers: keep your own record of when shifts were offered, changed and cancelled. If a rota breaks your daily or weekly rest, raise it in writing. If you are paid per task on a shift, check your pay against the minimum wage rules for per-task pay. If your hours vary week to week, see how holiday accrues for irregular hours. If you are an employee and need different hours or times, you can make a statutory flexible working request. If you work part time, see part-time workers' rights.
Northern Ireland has separate legislation. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Questions and answers
Can rota software schedule me to finish late and start early the next day?
Not if it breaks your daily rest. Under regulation 10 of the Working Time Regulations 1998 a worker is entitled to at least eleven consecutive hours of rest in each 24-hour period, with limited exceptions.
Do I have a right to be paid if my shift is cancelled at short notice?
Section 3 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 creates that right for qualifying shifts, but on 31 October 2026 it was in force only for consulting on and making regulations. The amount and the notice period are still to be set.
Can a zero hours contract stop me working for someone else?
No. Under section 27A of the Employment Rights Act 1996 a term in a zero hours contract that prohibits work under another contract, or requires the employer's consent for it, is unenforceable against the worker.
What is a guaranteed hours offer?
Under section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 2025, an employer will have to offer qualifying zero hours and low-hours workers guaranteed hours reflecting the hours they worked in a reference period. The details are left to regulations and the right was not yet enforceable on 31 October 2026.