Your hours are usually set by two things: your contract, which is hard to change without your agreement, and the rota, which your employer can often change with reasonable notice. Cutting the hours your contract guarantees, sending you home early without pay, or changing shifts at the last minute are where most problems start. In many places you're owed the contracted hours, a minimum amount of pay when you turn up for a shift, and fair notice of changes. This guide shows how to tell which rules apply to you, how to check the money with real numbers, and how to raise it calmly in writing.
Rules on hours, notice and call-in pay are set by each country's labour law, and often by contracts or collective agreements on top. This guide explains how things usually work. It isn't legal advice. For the exact rules where you work, check your contract and your labour department.
1. Contract hours vs the rota
Start by separating two documents that often get mixed up.
- Your contract (or letter of appointment, or terms of employment) sets the deal: your job, your pay, and usually your hours. It might say "40 hours a week", "a minimum of 25 hours a week", "Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 4:30", or "hours as required".
- The rota (or schedule) is the week-to-week plan: which days and which shifts you work.
The rota has to fit inside the contract. If your contract guarantees 40 hours a week, a rota that gives you 30 doesn't change the contract. Your employer is planning fewer hours than they agreed to pay for.
If your contract says the hours are "variable" or "as required", your employer usually has more room to move your hours around. Even then, many places have rules on notice, minimum shift pay and rest, and the employer still has to treat staff fairly.
2. Changes that need your agreement
In many places, the main terms of your contract can't be changed by your employer alone. Your hours are usually one of those main terms, because they decide your pay.
Changes that usually need your agreement include:
- Cutting your guaranteed hours, for example from 40 to 30 a week.
- Moving you from day work to nights, or from weekdays to weekends, where your contract names your days or times.
- Changing you from full-time to part-time, or from fixed to "as required" hours.
- Changing your place of work in a way the contract doesn't allow.
Some contracts include a "flexibility clause" that lets the employer change hours or shifts. Those clauses are often read narrowly. They usually still have to be used reasonably and with notice.
If your employer wants to make a big change, the fair way is for them to explain why, give you time to think, and put the new terms in writing for you to sign. You can ask questions, ask for a trial period, or say no. Saying no can have consequences in some situations (for example if the business is genuinely cutting back), so it's worth getting advice before you refuse.
Carrying on can count as agreement. In some places, if you work the new hours for a long time without objecting, that can be treated as accepting them. If you don't agree, say so in writing early, even while you keep working.
3. Notice of rota and shift changes
Even where your employer can change the rota, they usually have to give reasonable notice. What "reasonable" means varies a lot.
- Contract or agreement. Many contracts and collective agreements set a notice period for rotas, such as publishing the rota 7 or 14 days ahead.
- The law. Some places have "predictable scheduling" rules that require advance notice and sometimes extra pay when a shift is changed at short notice.
- Custom and practice. If the rota has always come out on Thursday for the following week, that becomes part of what you can fairly expect.
If there's no written rule, a rota that changes the night before, every week, is still worth raising. You have a life to plan around your work: childcare, a second job, study, getting home safely at night.
4. When your hours are cut
A cut to your hours is a cut to your pay. Check it the same way you'd check any pay question: with numbers.
Worked example: guaranteed hours cut
Carmen's contract guarantees 40 hours a week at US$ 12.00 an hour. For four weeks, the rota gives her 32 hours a week.
| Hours | Rate | Pay | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract (per week) | 40 | 12.00 | 480.00 |
| Rota (per week) | 32 | 12.00 | 384.00 |
| Shortfall per week | 8 | 96.00 | |
| Shortfall over 4 weeks | 32 | 384.00 |
If her contract really guarantees 40 hours, and she was available to work them, she may be owed the US$ 384.00 difference. If her contract only says "up to 40 hours", there may be no shortfall at all. Same rota, different answer. The contract wording is everything.
Short-time working and lay-offs. Some businesses cut everyone's hours for a period because work has dried up. In many places this is allowed only if the contract or the law permits it, and there may be rules on how long it can last, how much notice is needed, and whether you can claim a payment or end the job and claim severance if it goes on too long. Ask for the reason and the expected length in writing.
5. Sent home early, short shifts and minimum call-in pay
You turn up for an 8-hour shift and, an hour and a half in, you're told it's quiet and you can go home. Are you paid for 1.5 hours or 8?
In many places there's a minimum call-in pay (also called reporting pay or show-up pay). If you report for a scheduled shift and are sent home early through no fault of your own, you're paid for a minimum number of hours. Common patterns are:
- A fixed minimum, such as 2, 3 or 4 hours' pay.
- A share of the shift, such as half the scheduled hours.
- The full shift, under some contracts and agreements.
Worked example: sent home after 1.5 hours
Luis is paid US$ 11.00 an hour. He's rota'd for 8 hours and sent home after 1.5 hours.
| Rule | Hours paid | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| No minimum (hours worked only) | 1.5 | 16.50 |
| Minimum of 3 hours' pay | 3 | 33.00 |
| Half the scheduled shift | 4 | 44.00 |
| Full shift | 8 | 88.00 |
The difference between the first and last line is US$ 71.50 for a single shift. If it happens once a week, that adds up fast. Find out which rule, if any, applies to you.
Being sent home is different from asking to go home. If you choose to leave early, you'll usually be paid only for the time you worked. So if a manager says "you can go if you want", it's fair to ask whether that's an instruction or an offer.
6. Split shifts and on-call time
A split shift is one working day broken into two parts with a long unpaid gap, for example 7:00 to 11:00 and then 16:00 to 20:00. That's 8 hours of work, but your day stretches over 13 hours.
Split shifts are common in hotels, restaurants, transport and care work. Things to check:
- Is there a split-shift allowance? Some contracts and agreements pay a small extra amount for each split shift, or limit the total spread of the day (for example, no more than 12 hours from first start to last finish).
- Is the gap really yours? If you have to stay on site, wear a uniform, or be ready to come back at short notice, the gap may count as working time.
- Do you still get your rest? A late finish followed by an early start the next day can cut your rest between shifts. See our guide to breaks and rest.
On-call time works the same way. If you must stay at work or so close that you can't really use the time for yourself, it's often treated as working time. If you can be at home and simply answer the phone, it often isn't, though a small on-call payment is common. Check your contract.
7. Last-minute changes and cancelled shifts
A shift cancelled the night before can cost you a day's pay you were counting on. Some places now give workers rights here:
- Compensation for late cancellation, such as pay for part or all of the cancelled shift if it's cancelled with less than a set notice.
- The right to refuse extra shifts added at short notice, without being punished for it.
- Extra pay for shifts added or extended at short notice.
Where there's no such rule, your contract or a staff handbook might still say something. If neither does, keep a record of each late change anyway. A clear pattern is much easier to raise than a vague feeling that "they always change things".
8. Agreeing changes in writing
Whenever your hours or shifts change in a way that matters, get it in writing. That can be a new contract, a signed letter, or simply an email or message that confirms what was agreed.
A good written change says:
- What's changing: the old hours and the new hours.
- When it starts, and if it's temporary, when it ends.
- Why, in a sentence.
- What happens to your pay, including any allowances.
- That you agree, if you do.
If you're agreeing to a temporary cut to help the business through a hard time, ask for the end date in writing and what happens if it runs longer. "We'll review it in three months" is better than nothing. "Hours go back to 40 on 1 March" is better still.
9. What to do if your hours have been changed
Most problems are fixed by a calm, clear message with the facts. Here's how to get there.
- Check your contract for the hours, any guarantee, and any flexibility or notice clause.
- Gather your records: rotas (take photos), messages about changes, and your own note of the dates and times you actually worked or were sent home.
- Work out the money using the examples above, so you know the amount.
- Raise it in writing, politely, with the dates and the figure.
- Ask for a reply by a set date, and for any correction to appear on your next payslip.
Sample message
Keep a copy of what you send and any reply. If you're asked to talk about it in person, that's fine. Afterwards, send a short message confirming what was said: "Thanks for meeting today. Just to confirm, you said the missing hours will be paid on the 15th."
What to keep and what to check
- A copy of your contract, and any letter that changed your hours.
- Photos or copies of every rota, including the date you received it.
- Messages about shift changes, cancellations and being sent home.
- Your own record of start time, finish time and breaks for each shift.
- Your payslips, checked against the hours you actually worked.
- Any minimum call-in, split-shift or notice rule in your contract or handbook.
- Copies of anything you sent to raise a problem, and the replies.
10. Frequently asked questions
Can my employer change my hours without asking me?
It depends on your contract. Hours that are written into your contract usually can't be changed without your agreement. The day-to-day rota often can be changed, but usually with reasonable notice. Check your contract and your labour department's guidance.
Can my employer cut my hours to save money?
If your contract guarantees a number of hours, cutting them without your agreement may mean you're owed the difference. If your hours are "variable" or "up to" a number, there's usually more room. Some places have specific rules for short-time working and lay-offs.
If I'm sent home early, do I get paid for the whole shift?
Not always. In many places there's a minimum call-in pay, such as 2 to 4 hours, or half the scheduled shift, when you're sent home through no fault of your own. Some contracts pay the full shift. If you choose to leave, you're usually paid only for the time worked.
How much notice should I get of a new rota?
There's no single answer. Many contracts and agreements set a period such as 7 or 14 days, and some places have laws on predictable schedules. Where there's nothing written, regular last-minute changes are still worth raising.
Do I have to agree to a split shift?
If your contract allows split shifts, you may have to work them. If it doesn't, a change to split shifts may need your agreement. Either way, check whether there's an allowance and whether you still get your rest between shifts.
I've been working the new hours for months. Is it too late to object?
Possibly not, but working the new hours for a long time without saying anything can sometimes be treated as agreeing to them. If you don't agree, put it in writing as soon as you can, and get advice.
Can I refuse extra shifts?
Often yes, if the extra hours go beyond your contract. Some places protect workers who refuse shifts offered at short notice. Check your contract, and be clear and polite when you say no.
11. Where to get help
If raising it yourself doesn't work, you don't have to sort it out alone.
- Your labour department (sometimes called the labour office, ministry of labour or labour commissioner) can explain the rules on hours, notice and call-in pay where you work, and how to make a complaint. Many offer free advice by phone or in person.
- Your union or staff representative, if you have one, can tell you what your collective agreement says and can come with you to meetings.
- Legal aid or a workers' advice centre may be able to advise for free or at low cost, especially if a lot of money is involved or you're thinking of leaving.
Act reasonably soon. In many places there are time limits for pay claims, and records are easier to find while they're fresh. If you're also owed overtime, our overtime guide shows how to check the maths.