Maximum weekly working hours
Calculating your working hours
Average working hours are calculated over a 바카라 사이트˜reference바카라 사이트™ period, normally 17 weeks.
This means you can work more than 48 hours one week, as long as the average over 17 weeks is less than 48 hours a week.
The 17 week period can be extended to a maximum of 52 weeks if this is agreed, for example, by a trade union. You need to calculate the average for the number of weeks in the agreement.
Your working hours cannot be averaged out if you바카라 사이트™re under 18. You cannot work more than 40 hours in any one week.
Exceptions
Some jobs have different reference periods, for example:
- trainee doctors have a 26-week reference period
- the offshore oil and gas sector has a 52-week reference period
What counts as work
A working week includes:
- job-related training
- time spent travelling if you travel as part of your job, for example sales rep
- working lunches, for example business lunches
- time spent working abroad
- paid overtime
- unpaid overtime you바카라 사이트™re asked to do
- time spent on call at the workplace
- any time that is treated as 바카라 사이트˜working time바카라 사이트™ under a contract
- travel between home and work at the start and end of the working day (if you do not have a fixed place of work)
What does not count as work
A working week does not include:
- time you spend on call away from the workplace
- breaks when no work is done, for example lunch breaks
- travelling outside of normal working hours
- unpaid overtime you바카라 사이트™ve volunteered for, for example staying late to finish something off
- paid or unpaid holiday
- travel to and from work (if you have a fixed place of work)
You have more than one job
Your combined working hours should not be more than 48 hours a week on average.
If you work more than 48 hours on average, you can either:
- sign an opt-out agreement
- reduce your hours to meet the 48-hour limit