I was wondering if there was a set amount of hours between shifts that employers in Tennessee have to give you off between those scheduled shifts?

Say I work one night from 3pm - 11pm but dont clock out due to my employer holding me there and others as well till 11:30 pm or so doing things that need done and then have me scheduled to come back in at 8am the next morning.


If I remember right when I was younger and just out of high school my employer told me they had to give me 12 hours between my shifts for "recovery" time does that still stand?

Thanks for your response in this matter.

It's my understanding that Tennessee nor Federal law mandates limits on "time off between shifts". Your employer may have had a work rule in place; but it was not required by law. However I do believe there are a few industry specific exceptions (i.e. truck drivers). I'm not sure if this exception applies here since you did not mention what kind of work you do.

There is no Federal law and no law in any state that requires a particular number of hours off between shifts for the general adult population of employees. As Robb says, there are some industry specific exceptions where there is a public safety factor to be considered, such as airline pilots and truck drivers, but there is no general law.

There are frequently different laws with regards to hours worked for employees who are minors or still in school. It is possible that your former employer was referring to such a law.