Working hours

Regular working hours

Different sectors have different working hours. According to law, regular working hours can be no more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. Shorter working hours are usually agreed on in collective agreements.

You can also work more than 8 hours at your employer’s initiative, but employees must always consent to it.

Full-time work

Full-time work means that you work the full working day, usually on five days a week. According to the Working Time Act, regular working hours cannot be more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. The collective agreement usually provides for shorter working hours than this.

Part-time work

Part-time work means that you only work part of the working day or part of the working week. Part-time work involves less work than full-time work.

If you are a part-time worker, you may be entitled to additional work, meaning that you will be offered additional working hours up to the number of hours worked by a full-time employee, if you so desire.

If you want to work more hours than agreed in your contract, talk to your employer.

Additional work

Additional work is work performed in addition to the amount of work agreed on in an employment contract. However, your working hours cannot exceed 40 hours per week.

Additional work is carried out at the initiative of your employer and always requires your consent. You can give your consent to additional work each time separately, for a fixed term, or for an indefinite period. Consent to additional work can also be entered in your employment contract, but even then you’re entitled to refuse additional work for a justified personal reason on the days that are marked as days off on your work schedule.

If you have agreed on irregular working hours – for example, if you have a zero-hour employment contract – your employer may only have you carry out additional work on top of the hours indicated in your work schedule if you consent to the additional work separately each time or give your consent for a short period of time.

Zero-hour work (variable hours agreement)

Zero-hour employment contracts are contracts that do not require your employer to give you any hours at all. If your employment contract states that your working hours are 0–20 hours a week, it is a zero-hour employment contract. If you work for zero hours, you won’t receive any pay. Note that if your employer stops offering you any work at all, you can request your employer to provide a written statement on the reasons why there is less available work.

If the employer offers you a zero-hour contract, always try to agree on a minimum number of hours. You must then be paid for at least those hours, even if you didn’t have any work.

Employers are not allowed to offer zero-hour employment contracts if the need for the work covered by the contract is fixed.

Employers must review the number of hours worked by employees with zero-hour contracts at least every 12 months. If the number of hours worked during the reviewed period and the employer’s need for labour show that the employee’s minimum working hours can be raised, the employer must offer to raise the minimum amount.

A zero-hour employment contract is also called a zero-work contract (nollatyösopimus in Finnish) and a variable hours contract (vaihtelevan ajan työsopimus in Finnish).

Shift work and periodic work (irregular working hours)

Shift work or periodic work means that your working hours vary. You may have work on different days at different times. Your shifts can be morning shifts, day shifts, evening shifts or night shifts. Evening or night shifts are subject to an evening and night supplement if agreed in a collective agreement for your sector.

Night work

Night work is carried out between 11 pm and 6 am. Shift work often means that you may also have night shifts. For night work, you usually need to be paid a night supplement, the amount of which is agreed in the collective agreement for your sector.

Night work is more straining than day work, which is why the Working Hours Act places restrictions on night work. Night work is only allowed in specific jobs and situations.

As a rule, night work is prohibited for children under 18.

You can find more detailed guidance on night work in your own collective agreement.

Overtime

Overtime comprises work carried out in addition to regular working hours (8 hours a day). The employee’s consent is always required. This means that you do not have to consent to overtime. In addition, you cannot choose to extend your workday on your own initiative; the initiative for overtime must come from your employer. Overtime must usually be agreed on with the employer separately and in advance each time.

You receive more pay for overtime than for regular working hours. According to the Working Hours Act, if you work more than 8 hours a day, you will receive:

1. 50% more pay for the first two hours worked overtime
2. 100% more pay for the following working hours, i.e., your pay is doubled.

If you work more than 40 hours a week, you receive 50% more pay for all hours that count as overtime. You can also agree with your employer that overtime is compensated for as paid time off.

There are separate rules for overtime in period-based work. It is also possible to agree on overtime in a collective agreement.

Working-time reduction leave

Working-time reduction leave, or days off instead of shorter working hours, means reducing working hours from the statutory 40 hours per week to the current standard 37.5 hours per week or, in shift work, to 36.25 hours per week. Working-time reduction leave is agreed on separately in some collective agreements. In colloquial language, the Finnish term “pekkaspäivät” is also used for working time reduction leave.

Work schedule

Your employer must prepare a work schedule. It must include the following information:

• when the shift starts (day and time)
• when the shift ends (day and time)
• breaks included in working days
• holidays.

You are entitled to receive your work schedule at least 1 week before the work week starts.

Also check what your collective agreement says about work schedules.

It’s important to keep track of your working hours. It lets you make sure that you are paid correctly. If you have any disputes with your employer about your pay or other employment-related issues, your record of your working hours is proof of the hours you have worked.