to take over from the previous shift

[nagomi]

Let me set the scene. You have two shifts. They do the same job. Team A work 8 hours and so does Team B. There's a session between the shifts where both team have their work hours overlap for about 30 minutes and they spend this window of time to communicate something to be noted by the next shift team and share the progress so that there's no discontinuation in their progress during the change of shift.

What do you usually call this session or how do you describe it usually? I thought of:
a) Team B will take over A at 4pm.
b) Team A ( ) for Team B before finishing their shift.
c) Team A will do the shift brief for Team B before leaving.

 

[suzi br]

In nursing this overlapping time is sometimes known as the "handover".

Team A does the handover to Team B at 4pm.

#b Team A will do the handover to Team B before finishing their shift.
#c. You could use brief - but it would probably be a briefing.

 

[Uncle Jack]

The overlap between shifts is often called a handover. The wording used depends on how the handover is carried out, but one common arrangement might be described by saying:

d) Team B takes over from team A at 4 pm, but they arrive at 3:30 for the handover.​

You can use "will take over" rather than "takes over" if you are just referring to the next shift change. Use the present tense if you are referring to the regular, repeated occurrence. "Handover" might have "a", "the" or no article.

Your sentence (b) could be completed with "hands over to" (not "for"), but I suspect that "before the end of their shift" better fits what you want to say than "before finishing their shift".

Sentence (c) would be better with "brief" as a verb.

Cross-posted with suzi, whose suggestions are also good.

 

[nagomi]

The overlap between shifts is often called a handover. The wording used depends on how the handover is carried out, but one common arrangement might be described by saying:

d) Team B takes over from team A at 4 pm, but they arrive at 3:30 for the handover.​

You can use "will take over" rather than "takes over" if you are just referring to the next shift change. Use the present tense if you are referring to the regular, repeated occurrence. "Handover" might have "a", "the" or no article.

Your sentence (b) could be completed with "hands over to" (not "for"), but I suspect that "before the end of their shift" better fits what you want to say than "before finishing their shift".

Sentence (c) would be better with "brief" as a verb.

Cross-posted with suzi, whose suggestions are also good.

Thank you. This is another thoughtful response, Uncle Jack.

After I've read all the answers, I came to wonder how "handover" is different from "take over" or "hand over to."

In my culture, (or in my language system), we separate out the act of alternating shifts in two divisions:

1) The act of changing members
2) Briefing on what has to be shared with the next team

So, sometimes you can just come as next shift and even without a word other than "hi", you take over their shift. Because there's nothing to note in particular.

We call these two in different terms and they are different. How's that in English?

 

[Uncle Jack]

So, sometimes you can just come as next shift and even without a word other than "hi", you take over their shift. Because there's nothing to note in particular.

We call these two in different terms and they are different. How's that in English?

Both would use the phrasal verb "hand over":

A: We hand over to the night shift at 10.​

B: Is there any overlap between the shifts?​

A: No.​

I used the noun "overlap" because this is specific to time (without saying what happens in the time), whereas "handover" (noun) can be used even when there isn't really a handover in terms of conveying information from one shift to the other or any overlap in shift times. However, "handover" (noun) usually does involve at least some conveying of information.

Although we don't use clearly separate terms, the context usually indicates what is meant by "handover".

 

[nagomi]

Both would use the phrasal verb "hand over":

A: We hand over to the night shift at 10.​

B: Is there any overlap between the shifts?​

A: No.​

I used the noun "overlap" because this is specific to time (without saying what happens in the time), whereas "handover" (noun) can be used even when there isn't really a handover in terms of conveying information from one shift to the other or any overlap in shift times. However, "handover" (noun) usually does involve at least some conveying of information.

Although we don't use clearly separate terms, the context usually indicates what is meant by "handover".

Interesting. Thank you as always, Uncle Jack. And I also think your reasoning is more accurate than what I did. Come to think of it, we, too, use that idea both for when simply change of team happens and also for when there's any information to note to convey. I thought it was just a practice of poor communication in my culture.

 

[nagomi]

I've heard some of the English speakers, from their accent Americans, are calling it "a turn-over", could this be correct?

 

[Uncle Jack]

I've not encountered the term in Britain.