Working hours & rest
Full time is 40 hours a week. Overtime must be paid, and rest is your right.
Long hours are normal in some jobs — but there is a legal limit, and rest is not a reward your boss gives you, it is a right. Being exhausted is also how accidents and abuse happen, so these rules protect your body as much as your time.
Key facts
- Standard full-time work is 40 hours per week.
- Overtime is limited (generally up to ~50 hours/week) and paid at a higher rate.
- You have a right to at least 12 hours of rest between working days.
- You get at least one full free day every week.
- Paid annual leave is at least 4 weeks per year.
In detail
Overtime is extra — and extra-paid
Working beyond your normal hours is overtime. It cannot be forced on you without limit, and every overtime hour must be paid at a higher rate than normal hours. Night work and work on Sundays and holidays are also paid more. "Unpaid overtime because everyone does it" is not legal.
Rest, breaks and holiday
Within a working day you have a right to a break. Between days you must get a continuous rest, and once a week a full day off. On top of that you earn paid annual leave — time off you are still paid for. These are minimums; a contract can give you more, never less.
- A break during the shift, not "work through lunch".
- A continuous weekly rest day.
- At least four weeks of paid holiday a year.
Warning signs
- You work 7 days a week with no real day off.
- Overtime is expected but never appears on your payslip.
- You are not allowed proper breaks during long shifts.
- You are refused any paid holiday all year.
What you can do
- Write down your start and end times every day.
- Keep messages where overtime was ordered.
- Compare your hours with your payslip each month.
- Report dangerous overwork to the Labour Inspectorate.