Switzerland has some of the longest permissible working hours in Europe, with the average person working over 40 hours per week. It is important to know what the rules surrounding working hours in Switzerland are, as well as any benefits you might receive for working overtime, nights and Sundays.
According to the Service of Confederations, Cantons and Communes, the maximum a person in Switzerland can work on a contract that is full-time is 45 hours a week - although some job sectors are known to break this rule.
This accounts for around seven and a half hours per day, working from Monday to Saturday. The average amount worked by an industrial worker is around 40 hours a week, with service and creative sectors working for around 42 hours a week.
Companies that demand the longest working hours usually compensate for this with generous benefits packages, higher wages or a rewarding on-and-off work cycle. Workers are entitled to a set number of holidays as listed in their work contracts and get public holidays off work unless otherwise stated. These include both national holidays and the holidays in your local canton.
If you are working for less than 90 percent of a working week, you are classed as working part-time. Part-time positions are available for new starters in Switzerland or for those who desire flexible working hours. It is also common among those who wish to job share or require flexibility in order to raise a child.
Working on Sundays is extremely rare in Switzerland as most shops and businesses are closed on that day. Working on Sundays is only allowed under certain conditions and is generously compensated if it is not a regular part of your job.
Outside some professions like those in healthcare, working nights is equally rare and is only allowed in certain conditions. In the same way as working on Sunday, working nights is generously compensated if it is not a normal part of your work.
If you work nights for less than 24 days, or work less than six Sundays per year, you will be counted as a temporary night/Sunday worker. Companies that use these workers must have the consent of the canton before starting temporary work and the time must be agreed upon with the employee.
Temporary Sunday workers who work fewer than six Sundays a year receive 50 percent more salary as a wage premium for the time worked and have an equal amount of time off on another day. Temporary night workers receive 25 percent more in wages but do not receive extra time off.
Regular work on Sundays or on nights requires the authorisation of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). In order to work permanently on Sundays or on nights, the employer must prove that the work is “indispensable for technical or economic reasons”. In practice, this definition relates to essential services, from hospitals to the distribution of food and other supply chain needs.
Employees who work in this way can receive medical consultations at no additional cost and in many cases the type of work will mandate an examination by a doctor. Permanent workers are not entitled to any extra pay but receive 10 percent of the working time as extra time off to be awarded within a year.
Overtime is defined as when the amount of work that you do in a week exceeds the official maximum for working hours in Switzerland (45 hours a week) or the working hours defined in your contract. This work allows you to get extra money if overtime is covered by your employer.
In order for your work to be counted as overtime, it:
Any extra work done for your employer must be adequately compensated for. Typical benefits include an additional 25 percent premium on your wage or additional time off. Bear in mind that all benefits for overtime must be agreed upon while signing your work contract, and many companies include no compensation for overtime in the contracts themselves, so do take care before agreeing to overtime.
The official minimum amount of time given for lunch breaks in Switzerland is 30 minutes. However, most Swiss companies expect a working lunch or official lunch to be around an hour and a half in length. Typically, the more senior the position, the longer your lunch break. The amount of time does depend on the employer, so do check in your contract how much time you are officially allocated.