Roster notice in Ireland: the 24-hour rule, reference hours and changing shifts fairly

Most Irish hospitality staff don't have fixed hours. Their week depends on bookings, the weather and the fixtures list, and the roster is how they find out when they're working. Irish law sets a floor for how much notice they get, gives them some protection against last-minute changes, and since 2022 asks you to define, in writing, the window in which you can roster them at all. This guide covers what the law requires, what it doesn't, and how to change shifts without souring the team.

The 24-hour rule in section 17

Section 17 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 applies where neither the contract nor any collective agreement, employment regulation order or registered employment agreement sets normal start and finish times. That's most bar, floor and kitchen staff on variable hours.

For those staff, Citizens Information sums up the duty as:

• tell them their start and finish times at least 24 hours before their first day of work in the week;
• give at least 24 hours' notice of their hours for each day they work, particularly if they don't work every day;
• give 24 hours' notice of additional hours (s.17(2)).

There's a refinement in section 17(3) for someone who hasn't worked in the 24 hours before the day: the notice must be given before the end of the last 24-hour period in which they did work for you. In practice, if a part-timer last worked on Tuesday and you want them on Saturday, tell them while they're in on Tuesday.

How to notify. Section 17(5) says it's enough to post the times in a conspicuous position at the workplace. A roster published to everyone's phone does the same job, as long as everyone can see it.

Reference hours and days (since December 2022)

The European Union (Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 686/2022) became law on 16 December 2022. Regulation 13 amended section 17 in two ways:

1. The employer must make sure the work takes place within predetermined reference hours and days.
2. If the 24-hour notice isn't met, or the work is outside the reference hours and days, the employee has the right to refuse that work without adverse consequences (s.17(1A)).

"Reference hours and days" means the window in which someone with an unpredictable pattern may be asked to work. For a pub that trades seven days and closes at 12.30am at the weekend, a contract might say: "Reference hours and days: Monday to Sunday, between 10am and 1.30am." For a café open 8am to 5pm on weekdays, it would be much narrower.

What the written statement must say

The 2022 Regulations also changed the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994. Where an employee's work pattern is entirely or mostly unpredictable, the written statement (due within one month of starting) must tell them:

• that the schedule is variable, the number of guaranteed paid hours, and the pay for hours above those;
• the reference hours and days within which they may be required to work;
• the minimum notice they're entitled to before a work assignment, and where applicable the deadline under section 17.

The WRC adds that the "day 5" statement must already include any terms about hours of work, including overtime. If your contracts for part-time bar staff still just say "hours as rostered", now is the time to update them.

When you can change a roster at short notice

Section 17(4) keeps your right to change start or finish times, or add hours, at less than 24 hours' notice where circumstances that could not reasonably have been foreseen arise. Citizens Information's example is covering for a colleague who is off sick. A sudden storm closing the terrace, or a burst pipe, would be similar.

What isn't unforeseeable: a match on the calendar for weeks, a function booked last month, or a public holiday weekend. Roster for those in advance.

When you do change a shift late:

• Ask, don't instruct, where the change is outside their reference hours or notice period: they're entitled to say no.
• Check rest. A late swap can break someone's 11 hours' daily rest. See the Organisation of Working Time Act guide.
• Update the published roster so the record matches what happened.

Sending people home early and zero-hours cover

Two related rules sit in section 18, as amended by the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 (WRC):

• If an employee is required to be available and you don't give them at least 25% of those hours, they're due pay for 25% of the hours or 15 hours, whichever is less.
• If you call someone in and send them home without the expected hours, there's a minimum payment of three times the national minimum hourly rate: 3 × €14.15 = €42.45 in 2026.

So cutting a rostered shift on the day because it's quiet can cost money. If you do it, record why.

Banded hours and more predictable work

Two more rights help staff whose hours don't match their contract:

• Banded hours. The WRC explains that an employee whose contract doesn't reflect the hours they've worked over the last 12 months can ask in writing to be placed in a band (from Band A, 3 to under 6 hours, up to Band H, 36 hours or more). The employer has four weeks to consider it.
• A request for more predictable and secure work. Under the 2022 Regulations, an employee with at least 6 months' continuous service who has finished any probation can ask for a form of employment with more predictable and secure conditions, where available, once in any 12 months. You must give a reasoned written reply within one month.

A simple roster change policy

Put your rules for changes in writing, in the staff handbook or alongside the contract, so nobody is surprised. An illustrative policy for a pub or restaurant:

• Publishing. The roster for each week is published by Friday, at least 10 days before the week starts.
• Swaps. Staff can swap shifts with a colleague in the same role, with a manager's approval, up to 48 hours before the shift.
• Changes by us. We'll only change a published shift with less than 24 hours' notice where something unforeseen happens, such as illness, and we'll ask rather than instruct.
• Extra hours. Offers of extra shifts are made to everyone who has said they're available, not to the same people every time.
• Public holidays. The benefit for each public holiday is confirmed in writing at least 14 days before it.

The figures in that policy are your choice, not the law's, except the 24-hour floor. What matters is that the policy is followed, and that the roster staff see is always the current one.

Notice beyond the minimum: what good looks like

The law says 24 hours. Rosters in hospitality work far better with more. A practical routine:

1. Availability deadline. Staff update availability by, say, Wednesday for the week after next.
2. Publish 10 to 14 days ahead. Enough time for childcare, college and second jobs.
3. Lock the first week. Changes inside 7 days go by agreement, not by instruction.
4. One place for the roster. Not a photo in a WhatsApp group that's out of date by Thursday.
5. Keep every version. Citizens Information lists a copy of the written notification of working time, such as your weekly roster, among the records to keep.

How ShiftComplete helps

In ShiftComplete, staff set their availability from their phone weeks ahead (available, partial or off, with a note), you build a draft roster in seconds, adjust it, and publish it to every staff member's phone, with the option to email it. When you change a published shift, the person sees the new times on their phone rather than relying on a group chat. Team announcements keep last-minute updates in one place. It helps you keep the roster and hours records a WRC inspector asks to see. €1.99 per active staff member per month, free for 60 days, no card, no contract.