Working Time Abroad
Questions around working hours, rest periods and time recording when employees work in another country.
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In brief for employers
Working time abroad becomes relevant if employees do not work at their usual place of work during home office abroad, workation or cross-border work. Time zones, local holidays, rest times, availability and working time recording can then be more difficult to control.
It is particularly important for employers that working abroad does not lead to hidden overtime, lack of documentation or violation of rest periods. There are minimum standards for working hours in the EU, and national rules apply in the DACH region. Companies should therefore combine clear internal guidelines with possible local requirements.
Definition
Working hours abroad describes the regulation and control of working hours when employees carry out their work in another country. This includes start and end of work, breaks, daily and weekly rest periods, time zones, overtime, weekend work, holidays, working time recording and availability.
The term is closely linked to employment law abroad and duty of care.
Typical checks
HR and managers should clarify before approval:
- What time zone does the person work in?
- What core working hours apply?
- Are rest periods observed?
- How are working hours recorded?
- Are meetings outside of normal working hours necessary?
- How are overtime and weekend work prevented?
- What are the rules for local holidays?
- Is the activity compatible with the Remote Work Policy?
Especially for teams across multiple time zones, working hours should not only be technically possible, but also justifiable in terms of health and labor law.
Important distinctions
Employment law at workation is broader and also includes holidays, occupational health and welfare and welfare. Vacation days and public holidays at workation deals with the delimitation of working and vacation days. Occupational health and safety law abroad focuses on safety and health. Working time abroad focuses on time, rest and documentation.
How Vamoz helps with working hours abroad
Vamoz Remote Work Compliance helps companies to record working time issues in the application. Employees indicate country, period, planned working days and working model; Based on this, HR can define requirements or escalate risk cases.
Vamoz particularly supports:
- Recording of period, working days and time zone;
- Reference to working time and rest time risks;
- Link to workation and remote work rules;
- Documentation of requirements regarding accessibility and working hours;
- Integration into the HR Compliance Workflow.
Control working hours when working abroad
With Vamoz you record time zone, working days and requirements directly in the remote work process.
Frequently asked questions
Do normal working hours apply at workation?
In principle, internal working time rules should continue to apply. Additionally, local minimum standards or time zone issues may become relevant.
Do working hours abroad have to be documented?
Clean documentation is recommended and may be mandatory depending on the country or company.
Who decides on holidays and working hours abroad?
This should be regulated in the Remote Work Policy. In unclear cases, HR and Legal should check whether local rules need to be observed.