Swiss working time law

The most important laws and rules are summarized for you here. We accept no liability for this article. If you have any legal questions or require more detailed information, we recommend that you consult a legal expert.

You can read the exact regulations and exceptions HERE (in German).

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 normally last longer than 9 hours, unless there are exceptions. 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 this software, however, the compensation is not measured and must therefore be considered and implemented independently.

In the case of public holidays, the maximum weekly working time is reduced proportionately. This is also not yet measured in the software and must be implemented independently.

Rest breaks

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 periods

Rest periods are important to maintain the health, safety and performance of employees.

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. This is not measured in this software and must be implemented independently.

If the weekly working time is spread over more than 5 days, employees must have half a day (8 hours) off each week, either before or after their daily rest period. This also cannot be measured in this software and must be implemented independently.