The following recommendations apply to the arrangement of shift work:
- Overtime should be avoided, especially in occupations involving special hazards or heavy physical or mental strain.
- The changeover from one shift to another during the working day should, where appropriate, include a brief period of overlap of the two crews in order to pass on any information that is needed by the subsequent crew.
- If appropriate and if it is possible within legal requirements, workers whose skills are interchangeable should be allowed to exchange a shift with another worker.
- The shift schedule should be displayed or distributed for easy access by all workers, and should be presented in a readily understandable form.
- Workers should receive reasonable notice in advance of scheduled hours of work and of any foreseeable changes to the schedule.
- Arrangements should be considered to accommodate the special needs of workers such as pregnant and breast-feeding workers, workers with family responsibilities, older workers, disabled workers or workers with health problems, and also workers' personal preferences for the scheduling of their own free time.