Typical working hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with one hour of unpaid break for lunch.
The number of weekly working hours is 40 (8 hours per day, five days a week). Hours worked beyond this quota must be paid for as overtime.
Employees who work a consistent shift can work for a maximum of 40 hours weekly. Employees in regimes involving multiple shifts that may overlap within 24 hours can work a maximum of 37.5 ( in multiple shift of continuously) or 38.75 (two shifts) hours weekly. Daily shifts cannot exceed 12 hours.
It is not possible to opt out of the maximum working hours established by the Czech Labour Code. However, it can be agreed in the employment contract that the remuneration for overtime work is already included in the salary, as long as such agreement respects the minimum wage and the maximum of overtime allowed (8 hours weekly for managerial roles within 26 consecutive weeks; 150 hours yearly for other employees).
Work performed beyond the 40 hours weekly is considered overtime. Employers can require employees to work overtime in only exceptional circumstances. Unless agreed otherwise, overtime cannot exceed 8 hours in a week within 26 consecutive weeks or 150 hours in a calendar year. With the employee’s consent, overtime can exceed the annual limit as long as it doesn’t average more than 8 hours weekly over a consecutive period of 26 weeks, which amounts to approximately 416 hours per year.
Employees working overtime are entitled to an additional 25% of their wage. Employers and employees can also agree to provide additional time off in lieu of compensation for overtime. Employees working night shifts and on weekends are entitled to an additional 10% of their wage, while those working on a public holiday are entitled to an additional 100% of their wage or a compensatory day off.
Employees who work continuously for 6 hours are entitled to an unpaid daily break of at least 30 minutes. Employees are also entitled to an uninterrupted rest of at least 11 hours between shifts within each consecutive 24 hours (which can be shortened to 8 hours in certain circumstances) and an uninterrupted weekly rest of at least 35 hours within every seven calendar days (which can be shortened to 24 hours in certain circumstances). If work permits, the weekly
Night work is any work performed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Employees working night shifts are entitled to an additional 10% of their wage for the hours of work performed at night (unless agreed otherwise). Night shifts cannot exceed 8 hours in a period of 24 consecutive hours.
Companies must keep track of every employee’s worked hours, including overtime, night work, and work emergencies. The record must contain the start and end hours of work.
At the request of the employee, the employer must allow the employee to check the records of working hours and the renumeration account and to obtain statements or duplicates at the expense of the employer. Violation of the obligation to keep records can be sanctioned by a fine of up to CZK 400,000.
Companies that are found guilty of not tracking or keeping records of employees’ overtime hours can be fined up to CZK 400,000 for the offence, with penalties of up to CZK 2,000,000 if the permitted overtime is exceeded.
