Break Rules for Hourly Employees in 12 Countries
If you’ve worked your share of long shifts, plating up orders in a hot kitchen, waiting tables or even doing your rounds in a hospital or care home, you’ll know how important it is to get downtime. No matter what you do, all workers need breaks to recharge.
Last year, there were an estimated 3.5 billion employees worldwide, but when they get breaks, the amount of breaks, and how long those breaks last varies widely. A lot of cultural factors influence break rules for hourly employees around the world.
So we decided to do some investigating. Keep reading to learn about:
Global break rules in 12 countries
How each country handles paid time off
What different types of breaks mean depending on the country
Plus additional laws about overtime and leave
Workers break rights in 12 countries
Learn all about legal break requirements from around the world.
1. US
Meal and rest breaks
There’s technically no national standard for meal and rest breaks; it depends on the state.
The average meal break is 30 minutes.
The majority of states don’t have any break requirements for adults but some do.
Overtime
There are no maximum working hours for adults in America (though many states require at least one full day of rest each week).
Under federal law, non-exempt employees must be paid 1.5 times their regular pay when working over 40 hours a week. State and local laws may require additional overtime for a certain number of hours in a day, or a certain number of days in a week.
Leave and Time Off
No federal law requires private employers to give time off for federal holidays.
No federal law requires employers to give annual vacation leave or PTO; the decision is left up to employers and employees.
There are no federal paid sick leave rules, though the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives 12 weeks of unpaid leave if the employer is subject to the act and many states require employers to provide paid sick leave.
It’s illegal to work Sundays in South Carolina (with some exceptions, including retail).
2. UK
Meal and rest breaks
Employees over 18 are entitled to 3 types of breaks: rest breaks, daily rest, and weekly breaks.
Rest breaks are 20 minutes of uninterrupted rest if they work more than 6 hours a day.
Daily rest is 11 hours of rest between working days.
Weekly rest can be either 24 hours without work each week or 48 hours without work every two weeks.
Overtime
Employees cannot be required to work more than an average of 48 hours per week.
Leave and Time Off
Female employees are entitled to a year of maternity leave (whether through birth or adoption), and it can be split with their partner in some cases.
Employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave (pro-rated for part-time employees).
Sick employees need to provide a doctor’s note if they’re out for seven days or more.
3. Australia
Meal and rest breaks
Many employees are entitled to rest breaks, the length of which is generally set out in the modern award or enterprise agreement.
Rest breaks can also be known as tea breaks.
Unpaid meal breaks need to be longer than a rest break and uninterrupted to eat a meal. Some employees may be entitled to crib breaks (working lunches). These are paid since the employee needs to stay at work to eat and may be interrupted.
Overtime
The standard working week is an average of 38 hours per week (though more can be worked if both parties agree).
Leave and Time Off
Employees are entitled to four weeks of paid annual leave (shift workers get supplementary leave allowance).
Employees are entitled to 10 paid sick days a year (pro-rata for part-time employees).
After working for an employer for a year, employees are entitled to 12 months of unpaid parental leave (whether due to birth or adoption).
4. Philippines
Meal and rest breaks
Employees are entitled to an hour-long meal break.
Employees need at least one full day of rest after six days of working.
Overtime
The standard workday cannot exceed 8 hours, and the regular workweek shouldn’t exceed 40 hours.
Overtime must be paid at 1.25 times the usual wage.
5. South Africa
Meal and rest breaks
Employees must have an hour-long meal break after 5 hours of work.
Employees are entitled to a daily rest break of 12 consecutive hours.
Overtime
The standard workweek does not exceed 45 hours.
The standard work day is nine hours if an employee works five days or less a week.
If an employee works more than five days, the standard shift is eight hours.
Employees must agree to overtime, within the limits of a maximum 12-hour workday and 10 total overtime hours per week.
Sundays are considered a rest day; if employees regularly work on Sundays, they get paid at least time and a half. If they occasionally work on Sundays, they get paid double time.
Leave and Time Off
Employees are entitled to 21 continuous days of annual leave.
Employees can take up to 6 weeks of paid sick leave during a 36-month cycle.
Employees are entitled to 4 continuous months of maternity leave.
Employees are entitled to 10 continuous days of unpaid paternity leave (also applicable to adopting a child 2 years of age or younger).
6. New Zealand
Meal and rest breaks
Employees get a variety of paid and unpaid breaks depending on the number of hours in their shift.
Leave and Time Off
Employees are entitled to at least four weeks of paid annual leave.
Employees get up to 11 paid public holidays; if they work on a public holiday, they must be paid time and a half or given an alternative day off.
Employees are entitled to five paid sick days per year.
Employees are entitled to three days of bereavement for loved ones.
7. India
Meal and rest breaks
Employees are entitled to a 30–60 minute break every 4 to 5 hours, depending on their location.
Overtime
The average work day depends on the region, but employees might work up to 9 hours a day and 48 hours a week.
Maximum hours of work varies from region to region and by type of establishment, but many employees are restricted to 12 hours per day of work.
Leave and Time Off
Mothers with fewer than 2 children are entitled to 26 weeks of maternity leave and 12 weeks for the adoption of a child 3 months old or younger.
Employees get at least 12 days of paid sick leave per year, depending on the region.
Public holidays in India vary by region, but all organizations must stay closed on three national holidays unless otherwise authorized: Republic Day (January 26), Independence Day (August 15), and Gandhi Jayanti (October 2). Most employers allocate 10 days of paid holiday leave each year.
8. Ireland
Meal and rest breaks
Employees get a 15-minute break when working more than 4.5 hours or a 30-minute break when working more than 6 hours.
Employees get a daily rest of 11 hours without working between shifts.
Workers are guaranteed at least 24 hours of continuous rest each workweek.
Leave and Time Off
There are 10 public holidays that full-time employees can have off each year.
If you have to work on a public holiday, employees are entitled to another paid day off to make up for it.
Employees have a right to 5 paid sick days per year, although they are paid at a reduced rate.
9. Japan
Meal and rest breaks
Employees are entitled to at least a 45-minute break after working 6 hours and get an hour-long break when working in excess of 8 hours.
Overtime
The standard workday should be 8 hours and not exceed 40 hours a week (though there are some exceptions, including retail, food service, and entertainment).
Leave and Time Off
Employees are entitled to one statutory day off per week or four days off a month.
Employees get 10 days paid leave after 6 consecutive months of working.
Female employees are entitled to maternity leave six weeks before birth and eight weeks after birth.
Employees can take up to 93 days off for family care leave.
10. France
Meal and rest breaks
Employees are entitled to a rest break of 20 consecutive minutes after working 6 hours.
Employees are entitled to a daily rest break of 11 consecutive hours.
Overtime
Employees usually work 35 hours per week and must not work more than 48 hours in any given week.
Employees shouldn’t work more than 10 hours a day.
Employees get to choose if they want to work Sundays or evenings; if so, they get paid double.
Employees can’t work more than six days a week.
Leave and Time Off
Employees are entitled to a minimum of five weeks of paid leave.
Anyone working on Labour Day (May 1) must be paid twice their normal rate.
11. Mexico
Meal and rest breaks
Employees are entitled to a minimum of a 30-minute rest break during a continuous shift; if the shift is broken up, they get an hour-long break.
Employees should have one day off each week, though there are exceptions.
Nursing mothers are entitled to two extra 30-minute breaks to feed children.
Overtime
Overtime is limited to three hours a day for no more than three days in a row.
Sundays tend to be rest days. Employees get extra pay for working on Sundays.
Leave and Time Off
Annual leave depends on an employee’s seniority—at least six days of paid leave are mandated for first-year workers.
Employees get six weeks of maternity leave both before and after birth.
Employees who work on statutory holidays, such as Christmas Day (December 25) or Labour Day (May 1), must be paid three times their normal rate.
12. Singapore
Meal and rest breaks
Employees are entitled to one full day of rest each week.
Overtime
The standard workday is 8 hours, and the standard workweek is 44 hours maximum.
Leave and Time Off
Newer employees are entitled to a week of paid annual leave, with a maximum of 14 days required for more senior workers.
Employees are entitled to 11 paid public holidays; employers must pay double or offer an alternative day off to anyone working one of these holidays.
Employees are entitled to paid sick leave after at least three months of work with the same employer.
Keep employee breaks organized and compliant
Needless to say, keeping employees’ breaks organized is a difficult task. It’s too easy for one of these many break rules for hourly employees to be overlooked or misinterpreted, potentially leading to fines and frustrated employees.
Deputy can help. Our software assists with scheduling breaks, simplifying compliance, and leave management.
Learn more about our smart compliance management software today.
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While Deputy’s workforce management software is designed to simplify compliance with many scheduling and timekeeping requirements, it is not a substitute for payroll or legal advice, nor is it intended to relieve you of your obligation to comply with the laws and regulatory requirements that are applicable to your business. It is ultimately each customer’s sole responsibility to pay their employees correctly and in compliance with all legal and contractual requirements. Please review our Product Specific Terms for more information about your compliance responsibilities. The information provided on this website is for general informational and promotional purposes and is not payroll, legal, or tax advice.