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Swiss working time law
Swiss working time law
This article provides an overview of the Swiss working time law.
The most important laws and rules are summarised for you here. However, we assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the legal information. We recommend you consult a legal expert if you have any legal questions or need more detailed information.
You can read the exact regulations and exceptions here.
Maximum working hours for employees
The Swiss working time law protects employees by setting maximum working hours and prohibitions for certain days.
It states that working days must not usually last longer than 9 hours unless exceptions exist. The maximum weely working time is 45 hours per week for employees in industrial companies, office staff, technical and other employees and sales staff in large retail companies. For all other employees, it is 50 hours per week.
However, there are exceptions in which the maximum weekly working time can be extended by 2 to 4 hours, provided it is not exceeded on average.
In the case of public holidays, the maximum weekly working time is reduced proportionately.
Rest break
All employees have the right to breaks during their working hours. These are mainly for rest and refreshments.
The minimum length of the break depends on the actual duration of work:
- 15-minute break for a daily working time of more than 5.5 hours
- 30-minute break for a daily working time of more than 7 hours
- 1 hour break for a daily working time of more than 9 hours. In this case, the break can be divided into sections.
Employers also have the option of granting longer breaks.
Rest period
Rest periods are important to maintain employees' health, safety and performance.
All employees have the right to a daily uninterrupted rest period of at least 11 hours.
This rest period can be reduced to 8 hours once a week as long as the average remains at 11 hours over 2 weeks. If the rest period is shortened, no overtime work may be ordered afterwards. However, this is not measured in this software and must, therefore, be considered and implemented independently.
Over the weekend, employees must have a continuous rest period of 35 hours in total, from Saturday 11 pm to Sunday 11 pm. If the weekly working time is spread over more than 5 days, employees must have half a day (8 hours) off each week before or after their daily rest period.
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