shift change; worker replacement; periodic relief
Refers to the scheduled changeover of workers, such as at the end of a shift or when one group replaces another.
The shift change at the factory is at 3 p.m.
出替わりの時間に駅が混雑する。
The station gets crowded at shift-change time.
Compound of 出 (で, 'going out') and 替わり (かわり, 'replacement'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word transparently describes workers going out and being replaced.