How many hours a week? About the duration of the working week

All employees who care about observing their rights at the workplace, you need to know how many hours a week the law provides for work.

The concept of working time

Workers call those intervals of time during which the wage worker fulfills his duties established by the employment contract. It is the employer's responsibility to keep track of the time that has been worked out by each employee.

The time of the beginning and end of the working day, lunch and other breaks is set arbitrarily, but the total number of hours in the week that the employee spends at the workplace is regulated by labor legislation. The time that the worker spends on the road, to the worker does not apply.

In addition to actually worked out, the time for fulfilling a military duty, the duties of a jury or other actions provided for by the Labor Code pertains to the worker.

How many hours a week? The correct answer to the question depends on what is meant. In the calendar week - 168, but how many hours in the working week? The answer to this question will differ depending on the category of worker, because in addition to normal there are short and incomplete work schedules.

Normal work week

The maximum number of hours a week that an employer can set for subordinates is 40 hours. This duration of the working week is called normal and extends to the majority of workers. Neither the form of ownership of an employer nor its legal status can be the reason for changing this rule. Type of employment (permanent, temporary work) also does not matter.

In this case, the law provides for overtime, which is calculated in the number of hours worked in excess of the prescribed forty. For overtime, the employee must receive an increased payment.

If an employee is employed immediately in several enterprises, then employers are not liable for time worked exceeding the bar of 40 hours, if within the enterprises themselves the norm is not violated.

For example, an employee Alexander works 40 hours per week in firm A, and 10 hours of work in company B. In total, he works 50 hours every week, but within both enterprises his working time does not exceed 40 hours, so the hours worked out from the top will not be 10 hours Be considered a recycling.

Another example: Elena works 45 hours in A, and works for 15 hours in firm B. At the first workplace she processes 5 hours, and on the second her working hours do not exceed the norm.

The working week can consist of 5 or 6 days, and a sliding mode is also allowed. In the final analysis, it matters only how many hours a week has been worked out.

The duration of the shortened week

A reduced schedule is provided for minors, disabled people and some other categories of workers. In this case, minors receive payment in accordance with the output, and other categories of workers - full-time.

A shortened week can have different lengths depending on the age, employee's ability to work and working conditions:

• 12 hours - for students who are not yet 16 years old;
• 24 hours - for other persons who are not yet sixteen;
• 17.5 hours for students who already have 16, but not yet 18;
• 35 h - for the disabled (1 and 2 grams) and workers from 16 to 18 years old who do not study anywhere;
• 36 hours for teachers, teachers and those working in hazardous conditions;
• 39 h - for doctors.

The shortened week differs from the incomplete one in that payment is charged as a full one (except for employees who are not 18 years old). With a shortened week, the payment corresponds to the output.

Incomplete week

Incomplete time can be established for any employee by mutual agreement with the employer. But there are cases in which the employer can not refuse the employee in approving for him an incomplete time. Examples: an employee has an underage child, is a minor himself, cares for a sick relative. Have to meet halfway to the pregnant woman.

You can negotiate for any amount of time within the standard week. Time can be cut by reducing the number of working days, working hours for one day, or both.

Time worked over the established will be considered as overtime work, even if the total number of hours did not exceed 40.

How many hours work abroad

How many hours a week work for those who have officially settled abroad? In the overwhelming number of countries, the amount of time allocated for work is comparable to that in Russia. The standard week ranges from 35 hours in England and France to 48 hours in Germany, Italy, Ireland and many other countries. The corresponding norms are detailed in the laws of each country.

But how many hours a week can you work without loss of performance? This question was once answered by Henry Ford: exactly 40 hours.