Updated for general private-sector practice in the Philippines. This is an educational overview, not legal advice.

1) The baseline: the weekly 24-hour rest

Every employee is entitled to at least one (1) rest day of not less than 24 consecutive hours after six (6) consecutive days of work.
In the private sector, the employer designates the weekly rest day as a matter of management prerogative, subject to two key limits:
1. Religious observance: If an employee’s preferred rest day is based on religious grounds (e.g., Friday, Saturday, Sunday worship), the employer must respect the preference whenever practicable.
2. Fairness & reasonable notice: Changes in rest days must be exercised in good faith, with reasonable prior notice, and consistent with any contract, policy, or CBA.

“Rest day” is the actual 24-hour period off work—not the calendar label. When schedules are swapped, what matters for compliance is that the worker truly gets 24 straight hours of rest sometime within each 7-day cycle.

2) What a “rest day swap” means

A rest day swap is any arrangement where:

the employee’s scheduled rest day is exchanged for another day (e.g., from Sunday to Wednesday), or
two employees trade rest days with each other, or
a rest day is moved to accommodate business needs or employee requests.

So long as the swap preserves a continuous 24-hour rest within the workweek, the Labor Code generally allows it. The fine print concerns consent, notice, pay consequences, and documents.

3) Who may start the swap—and what approvals are needed

Employee-initiated swap: Common when an employee needs a specific day off for personal or religious reasons. Best practice is a written request stating the reason and the proposed make-up day.
Employer-initiated swap: Permissible under management prerogative if reasonable and in good faith. Employers should avoid abrupt, repeated, or punitive changes. Advance notice is expected; many companies standardize this (e.g., 3–7 days’ notice) in policy or CBA.
CBA or company policy controls: If a CBA or handbook prescribes a process, notice period, caps, or approvals, those rules apply and will supersede general practice.

4) Pay rules when rest days are moved or traded

The pay question turns on what day is treated as the rest day after the swap and what day is actually worked.

A) Work on the (new) rest day

If, after a swap, Tuesday becomes the employee’s rest day and the employee works on Tuesday, that is work on a rest day. For the first 8 hours, the employee is entitled to rest-day premium (customarily +30% of the basic rate). Overtime worked on a rest day earns OT on top of the rest-day premium.

B) Work on the (original) rest day that was swapped away

If Sunday was originally the rest day but is converted to a regular workday, then work on Sunday is treated like any ordinary workday (no rest-day premium), unless it coincides with a special day or regular holiday, in which case the special-day/holiday rules apply.

C) When holidays or special days coincide with a swap

Regular holiday + rest day: Work typically pays the regular-holiday rate for work performed that day, plus an added premium because it is also the rest day (commonly understood to total 260% of the basic rate for the first 8 hours).
Special non-working day + rest day: Work on a special day that is also a rest day typically attracts a higher special-day premium than a plain special day (commonly 150% for the first 8 hours).
If the holiday/special day falls on the swapped-away rest day (now a regular workday), then holiday/special-day rules still apply, but rest-day premiums do not, because that day is no longer the rest day.

Keep internal payroll matrices updated: (a) ordinary rest day, (b) rest day + OT, (c) special day, (d) special day + rest day, (e) regular holiday, (f) regular holiday + rest day, and the corresponding OT rates for each.

5) Notice, consent, and documentation

Reasonable notice: Provide written notice (email/SMS/timekeeping app) before a rest-day change becomes effective. If operations are 24/7/365, embed a forecastable rotation so employees can plan.
Employee consent:
- Required where the swap originates from the employee or alters agreed terms in a way that’s not covered by policy/CBA.
- Not strictly required for good-faith, operational rest-day adjustments already authorized by policy/CBA—though notice and consultation remain best practice.
Document the swap: Keep the request/approval trail and timekeeping entries (actual hours worked and the new 24-hour rest). This proves compliance and supports correct premium pay.

6) Limits and safeguards

One 24-hour rest every 7 days: Swaps cannot result in more than six consecutive workdays without the 24-hour break.
Health & safety: Avoid patterns that compress extended work stretches (e.g., 12 straight days by sliding rest days too far apart).
No discriminatory scheduling: Do not apply rest-day swaps to penalize union members, pregnant employees, persons with disabilities, or those asserting legal rights.
Religious accommodation: Where multiple employees seek protected religious rest days, use neutral criteria (seniority, shift coverage, rotating priority) to balance rights and operations.

7) Special employment situations

Retail/Service/BPO/Shift Work: Rotating rest days are common. The same swap principles apply—ensure real 24-hour rest, correct premiums, and clear rosters.
Field personnel / those not measured by the hour: Premium rules may differ if the employee is genuinely not covered by hours-of-work provisions; however, the weekly rest entitlement remains a core standard.
Domestic workers (Kasambahay): Entitled to at least one 24-hour weekly rest which may be scheduled by agreement; swaps should respect the agreement and the 24-hour rule.
Managerial staff: Often exempt from premium pay, but the weekly rest entitlement and good-faith scheduling still apply.

8) Interaction with flexible work arrangements

Rest-day swaps often ride alongside flexible arrangements, e.g.,:

Compressed workweek (e.g., four 10-hour days): Ensure each 7-day period still grants 24 hours off.
Rotation / staggering (e.g., mall hours, 24/7 sites): Publish rosters weekly or monthly; record swap approvals in the rostering system.
Temporary flex due to contingencies (calamity, public emergencies): Keep written advisories to employees and ensure pay protection rules are followed where applicable.

9) Common scenarios (with outcomes)

Employee requests to move Sunday rest to Friday for a religious observance.
- Grant if practicable. Friday becomes the rest day. Work on Friday earns rest-day premium; work on Sunday (now a regular day) is paid regular rates unless it’s a holiday/special day.
Department needs everyone on the usual rest day due to inventory. Rest day moved to Wednesday.
- Provide reasonable notice. Work on Wednesday is no work (rest). Work on Sunday (the former rest day) is regular work—no rest-day premium—unless Sunday is a special/holiday.
Two agents swap rest days among themselves (Tue ↔ Sat) to cover each other.
- HR/Team Lead approves in writing. Payroll tags the new rest days for premium logic. Check that each agent still enjoys a 24-hour rest within the week.
Holiday lands on the swapped rest day and the employee works.
- Apply holiday-plus-rest-day rate. If overtime is rendered, add OT on top of that composite rate.
Swap would create 7 straight days worked.
- Not allowed. Adjust the plan so the employee still gets a 24-hour continuous rest within the seven-day cycle.

10) Policy checklist (what to put in your handbook/CBA)

Statement of entitlement to a weekly 24-hour rest and the company’s right to schedule rest days.
Religious accommodation clause and the process for requesting specific rest days.
Swap request procedure (who to ask, how far in advance, documentation).
Notice periods for employer-initiated rest-day changes.
Priority/lottery/rotation rules if multiple employees request the same day.
Pay matrix for:
- ordinary rest day
- rest day + OT
- special day, special day + rest day
- regular holiday, regular holiday + rest day
- plus OT for each case
Audit & record-keeping (retain approvals, rosters, time logs).
Non-retaliation & equal opportunity language.

11) Quick answers (FAQ)

Can an employer move my rest day this week? Yes, if done in good faith, consistent with policy/CBA, with reasonable notice, and you still get a full 24-hour rest.
If I work on my new rest day after a swap, do I still get a premium? Yes. Premiums track the actual rest day, not the old one.
Do I get two rest days if the swap gives me Friday off and Sunday off? The law requires at least one 24-hour rest. Extra days off are by company policy/CBA.
What if my faith requires a specific day? Employers must respect religious rest day preferences where practicable. Use the company process to request and document it.
Can repeated last-minute changes be challenged? Yes. Frequent abrupt changes may be unreasonable. Raise via grievance or DOLE assistance if needed.

12) Practical template: Rest-Day Swap Request

To: [Supervisor/HR] From: [Employee] Subject: Rest-Day Swap Request Details: I request to move my rest day from [original day/date] to [new day/date] due to [reason]. I confirm that this preserves a continuous 24-hour rest within the current workweek. I understand the pay rules for work performed on the new rest day. Acknowledgment: [Manager/HR approval & payroll noted]

Bottom line

A rest day may be swapped, traded, or moved so long as the employee still gets one continuous 24-hour rest every seven days, the move is reasonable and documented, and pay is computed based on the day that is actually the rest day after the swap, with holiday/special-day rules layered in as applicable.