Working hours in 2026: which layout will work for you?

Do you need to check whether the working time allocation in your contract or internal regulations is correct? Contact an Affordable Advocate – we will check the documents and the specific situation of the employee or employer.

Working time schedules and weekly working hours

According to the Labour Code,working hours are characterized as the time during which you, as an employee, are to perform work for your employer or be ready at the workplace to perform work according to the employer’s instructions.

Working time is generally scheduled into a five-day working week. When scheduling working time, the employer must take into account that this scheduling does not conflict with the aspect of safe and healthy work.

It is typically determined by the number of hours per week, and most of us are familiar with a typical 40-hour week, the specific pattern of which may vary from workplace to workplace.

Fixed working hours

Previously, the classic “from-to-do” prevailed in workplaces . At seven or eight in the morning, the company absorbed hundreds of employees, and in the afternoon, they were ejected en masse. This form still has relevance in factories, for example, where operations need to run at specific times or in shifts throughout the day to avoid downtime. But it has less relevance in office work, where various alternatives are becoming the norm.

One of the main innovations of the amendment to the Labour Code, effective from January 2025, is the possibility for employees to schedule their own working hours with the prior written agreement of the employer. This flexibility allows for a better work-life balance.

Fixed working hours may seem like a relic, but if it applies to you, don’t forget the benefits it offers. If you need to see a doctor during working hours, this is seen as work when you are working fixed hours. In the case of flexible working, this is only the case if you visit during a fixed (core) part of your working hours.

Flexible working hours

In the case of flexible working hours, it can be said with a bit of exaggeration that the employee can come and go as he or she pleases. The employer usually sets basic working hours (e.g. 9am – 2pm) when the employee must be available at the workplace, and then optional periods when it is up to the employee to work. This allows employees to better organise their time, take into account whether they are a morning or night type and better fit their work around other responsibilities such as caring for their family.

However, on average, even a flexible worker should work 40 hours a week (unless they have reduced hours). This period can be a maximum of 26 consecutive weeks and can be extended to up to 52 weeks by collective agreement.

Flexible working hours, shorter hours or self-scheduling can be advantageous, but only if they are properly negotiated. In practice, we often deal with employment contracts, addendums or internal regulations that are written too broadly and later lead to disputes over overtime, leave or attendance. If you are unsure whether your working time arrangements are set up correctly, use our services. We can handle everything online and explain in clear terms what the documents actually imply.

Breaks at work

Employees not only have the right, but in fact the obligation, to take a rest break after a maximum of six hours of continuous work, and the employer must allow the employee to take a break. Typically in the form of a half-hour lunch break. However, it can also be taken in parts, as long as at least one of the parts is at least 15 minutes long. The break does not count towards working time.

Another option is the safety break. This typically applies to drivers, but can apply to employees in crawler production and many others. Its specific form is determined by the regulations. For example, for drivers of cars up to 3.5 tonnes, a break of a minimum of 30 minutes after a maximum of 4.5 hours is prescribed.

Rest periods

The Labour Code also protects the health of employees by regulating rest periods. Specifically, it provides for a minimum rest period of at least 11 hours between shifts. In exceptional cases (e.g. in the health sector or in continuous operations), the rest period can be reduced to as little as eight hours, but it must be guaranteed that the employee chooses the reduced period during the next rest period.

Uneven working time

Some employers may be more comfortable with irregular working hours, for example, short and long weeks, or different seasonal fluctuations or sales periods where extended working hours are needed, etc. At first glance, it may seem difficult to comply with the provisions of the Labour Code in the case of uneven working time, but the situation is relatively easy to resolve through a so-called working time account.

It is important to keep the average working time for the so-called compensation period.

This may be up to 26 consecutive weeks, but may be extended to 52 weeks by collective agreement.

The working time pool therefore plays a role in determining the appropriate length of the compensatory period in the context of irregular working time. This is the total number of hours worked by the employee over the entire compensation period. It is easy to calculate its total size as the number of weeks multiplied by the employee’s weekly working time.

Reduced working hours

Part-time or shorter working hours – they sound almost the same at first hearing, but they are different concepts.

Reduced working hours are a result of the employer’s internal regulations or a collective agreement. It means for all employees that they work , for example, only 37.5 hours per week at the same wage as before. However, it only applies to private employers; it is not available to public employees.

Shorter working hours

This concept is also known as part-time, part-time or part-time work. Such a change in working hours can be negotiated between the individual employee and the employer. In this variant, the pay is then reduced in proportion to the number of hours worked.

Any employee can apply fora change (reduction) of working time, but there are groups of employees who are at an advantage in such a situation. According to the law, the employer is obliged to comply with the request of employees caring for a child under 15 years of age for shorter working hours or other adjustment of the fixed weekly working hours. Only serious operational reasons can prevent him from doing so.

Shorter working hours

An employee contacted us after returning from parental leave. She asked her employer for shorter working hours from 8am to 2pm because she was picking up her child from nursery. The employer refused the request only with the general phrase that “the operation does not allow it”, but did not give any specific reasons. We helped the client to draft a substantive response in which we drew attention to the employer’s obligation to actually substantiate its serious operational reasons. After further discussion, the employer agreed to a part-time trial period of three months and then extended it permanently.

Recalculation of leave in the event of a change in working time arrangements

If there is a change in the working time pattern, for example, when flexible working hours are introduced, working hours are reduced or the working shift is changed, a recalculation of the leave must be carried out when the working time pattern is changed. This is particularly important for employees who have irregular working hours or whose working hours differ from the standard 40 hours per week.

The way in which the number of hours worked changes is essential for the recalculation of leave when the working pattern changes. If an employee changes to a different type of working time, whether part-time or flexible, the leave must be adjusted to the new number of hours worked. For example, if an employee moves to part-time, their holiday entitlement will be lower and will be calculated on the basis of the new hours worked. This means that the leave will be recalculated to the appropriate number of hours corresponding to his new working time pattern.

This recalculation of leave when the working pattern changes will ensure that each employee will have a fair entitlement to leave even when the working pattern changes. The use of leave is linked to hours and the employee shall be entitled to as many hours of leave as he/she is entitled to for the period according to his/her working time schedule.

Holiday is calculated according to the following formula: amount of time worked (hours per week) × number of weeks of holiday = amount of holiday in hours. Thus, for half-time work and five weeks of leave, the calculation is: 20 × 5 = 100 hours of leave.

Summary

The distribution of working time has a major impact on the day-to-day functioning of both the employee and the employer. Fixed working hours bring clarity and certainty but less flexibility. Flexible working time allows for a better work-life balance, but the employee must keep to the basic working hours and fill the weekly pool. Uneven working hours are particularly suited to operations with fluctuations, shifts or seasonality, but require close monitoring of the working time pool and the compensation period.

Shorter working hours are an individual adjustment to the hours worked, with a proportionate reduction in pay. On the other hand, reduced working hours are the result of an internal regulation or collective agreement and do not result in a reduction in pay. It is important not to confuse these terms. Parents of young children and caregivers deserve special attention, as the law provides stronger protection for them when requesting an adjustment of working time.

In addition, from 2025 it is possible to negotiate self-scheduling of working time by the employee. This arrangement can be very practical but must be regulated by written agreement and must not circumvent rules on breaks, rest periods or maximum shift length. At the same time, any change to the working time schedule must also take into account the correct calculation of holidays, the recording of working time and any overtime.