National Limitations on Work Hours Complicate Multinational Projects

Multinational corporations face challenges ensuring compliance with jurisdictional variations on allowable worker hours. Several European nations limit the number of hours employees may work and are considering additional restrictions.

In France, employees are limited to working an average of 35 hours per week, calculated over a one-year period. Hours exceeding this threshold are limited and must be paid at a higher rate and/or give rise to a special rest period. Additionally, the French government recently lowered the limit on part-time contracts to a weekly working time of at least 24 hours. However, numerous exceptions to this rule exist. Due to the complexity of French legislation on working time, it is hard to implement global working time policies in France.

The Swedish Working Hours Act is based on the Working Time Directive of the EU. The SWHA contains several limits on working time for employees, but many of the rules can be modified in collective bargaining agreements. UK legislation on work time derives from European Law, implemented into UK law by the Working Time Regulations (WTR), which provide rest breaks, paid annual leave, maximum average weekly working time of 48 hours (workers can opt out) and special protections for night workers and those aged 16-18.

In contrast to the European approach, U.S. law restricts hours-worked only for minors and for safety reasons in certain professions, such as air traffic control, interstate truck drivers, and nuclear reactor operators.