In 2021 Colombia passed a law to progressively reduce the standard work schedule from 48 hours to 42 hours per week, with no reduction in employee’s salaries or infringement upon their existing rights. Under this legislation, the weekly working hours are reduced by one hour per year in 2023 and 2024, and by two hours per year in 2025 and 2026. The work schedule may be distributed across five or six days, subject to mutual agreement between employers and employees, with a mandatory rest day.  

As with Chile’s law, this law was enacted to improve labour and economic conditions in Colombia. The primary goals are to enhance productivity, increase employment, improve quality of life for employees, and align with international standards. 

When the reduction in working hours is complete in 2026, employers will be no longer required to grant a ‘family day’ per semester and to provide two hours per week for recreational, sports and training activities (provided there are more than 50 employees).  

Transitioning to a four-day workweek as a means to enhance working conditions and promote mental wellbeing has long been debated and experimented with in Finland, but a major shift in this direction has yet to materialise. Whereas some companies have already introduced a four-day workweek, the ongoing revolutions of AI and technology suggests that the discourse surrounding this topic will persist and likely intensify in the years ahead. 

In Germany, the statutory upper limit is eight hours per business day (Monday to Saturday) averaged over six months or 24 weeks. Hence, a regular 48–hour working week is legally possible. However, under collective bargaining agreements and individual employment agreements the regular weekly working hours for full–time employees are usually in the range between 35 and 40 hours and most often spread over a five-day working week. Reduction of regular working hours and moving to a four-day working week are topics that are increasingly subject to debate, frequently driven by unions.  

According to Greek legislation, full-time work is defined as 40 hours per week, which may be spread over a five-day or six-day working week. In contrast to the provision of the new Chilean law, overtime can only be compensated by way of payment of the corresponding premium amount. There is no provision in Greek law for any agreement to grant paid time off to the employee instead.

In Italy, ‘normal’ working time, which applies to the majority of workers with the exception of executives, home workers and teleworkers, is set at 40 hours per week, with at least 11 hours of rest every 24 hours and at least 24 consecutive hours of rest every seven days. Overtime, which by law cannot exceed 250 hours per year, must be paid with surcharges.  

Having this legal framework in mind, a recent report showed that 65.5% of young people, 66.9% of adults and 69.6% of over-50s in Italy demand more attention to psychological well-being at work, and are in favour of reduced working time for the same salary. The need to establish a balance between personal and working life is one of the most important goals of young workers, who are no longer willing to sacrifice their personal lives in favour of work. 

For this reason, some large Italian employers are implementing alternative employment models, for example a four-day working week with no reduction in salaries. So far, these experiments have apparently demonstrated that reducing working hours not only does not compromise their economics, but on the contrary, improves productivity and well-being of employees.  However, as of now, this solution remains controversial and experimental. 

Currently in Mexico, the legal maximum working hours are 48 hours per week, with at least one day of rest mandated for every six days worked. A recent proposed amendment seeks to reduce the workweek to five days, effectively reducing the weekly working hours from 48 to 40. Currently, this proposal is undergoing deliberation within the legislative branch. For it to be enacted into law, it must secure the votes of two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and then ratification by at least 17 local congresses in the states. Only then would it become legally binding. 

The principal challenge for employers regarding the reduction of the workweek is to sustain and harmonise workplace operations without incurring substantial cost escalations. This requires reorganisation of workers’ shifts, recalculation of payments for vacation premiums and overtime, and possibly recruitment of additional personnel to maintain adequate operational levels. Therefore, various sectors and industries have advocated for a gradual implementation approach that would cater to the unique realities of each sector and employer size, thereby fostering adaptability and flexibility. 

In New Zealand, the maximum number of hours (excluding overtime) must be no more than 40 hours per week unless the employer and employee agree otherwise, which is common. If the maximum number of hours (excluding overtime) is more than 40 hours per week, the parties must endeavour to fix the daily working hours so that they are worked on not more than five days in the week. 

Chile’s reduction of the weekly working hours limit from 45 to 40 hours should positively impact employees’ work-life balance and will also bring Chile’s labour regulations closer to international standards. Currently in Poland a 40-hour working week is the norm, but a further reduction to 35 hours in the future is already being considered. 

In Slovakia, the normal working time is a maximum of 40 hours per week. In the case of two or more shift work patterns, the weekly working time is even shorter. Moreover, currently, there are proposals to introduce a four-day working week, which will bring many challenges for employers. 

Pursuant to the Turkish Labour Code, the upper limit of normal weekly working hours is 45 hours. Although the reduction of this limit is a subject of debate in Turkey, no official action has yet been taken in this direction. 

Under Ukrainian legislation, employees’ working hours cannot exceed 40 hours per week. However, during the current period of martial law, the normal weekly working hours may be increased to 60 hours for employees working in critical infrastructure (e.g. the defence industry and sectors that are vital to the health and safety of the population). 

The UK has a very liberal approach to working hours limits. The upper limit is 48 hours per week averaged over a 17–week period, but employees can be asked to ‘opt out’ of this limit (they can choose to ‘opt back in’ by giving up to three months’ notice), and it is common for them to do so, particularly in industries where long hours are normal. It is rare to see litigation or disputes over excessive working hours, though this is sometimes cited as an aggravating factor in other complaints. Note that there are more specific restrictions for certain sectors such as transport and aviation.