Working Hours and Overtime in Turkey

What Are the Standard Working Hours In Turkey?

An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work up to 45 hours per week, with a maximum of 11 hours per day. An employee whose age is under 18 is prohibited from working overtime hours and has more restrictive working conditions. A minimum meal interval of 30 minutes must be observed by employees who work between 4 and 7.5 hours in a day, and this increases to 1 hour for those working more than 7.5 hours. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, though this can vary by company and industry.

Maximum Working Hours in Turkey

Turkish Labor Law (Law No. 4857) sets clear limits on how long employees can work. The legal cap is 45 hours per week, with a maximum of 11 hours per day. While these hours can be distributed flexibly across the working week by mutual agreement between employer and employee, the weekly average cannot exceed 45 hours.

Overtime is allowed when there's additional work that needs to be completed, but it requires written employee consent. The law limits overtime to 270 hours per year, and certain categories of workers (including minors under 18, pregnant women, and those with medical restrictions) are prohibited from working overtime hours altogether.

Industry Specific Exceptions

Turkey's labor laws recognize that some industries have unique operational needs that require different working hour regulations. For example, maritime workers have a higher weekly limit of 51 hours, reflecting the nature of their work environment. Press employees are subject to special regulations that accommodate the unpredictable nature of news coverage.

Night shift workers have additional protections, with shifts limited to a maximum of 7.5 hours per shift. This recognizes the additional strain that working at night can place on employees' health and wellbeing.

Healthcare workers, particularly those in emergency services, may have different shift patterns to ensure continuous care, though they're still entitled to appropriate rest periods between shifts.

Managerial and Exempt Employees

Under Turkish labor law, managerial employees are defined as those who directly represent the employer and have authority to manage the workplace. While the standard working hour regulations technically apply to all employees, in practice, managerial employees often work beyond the standard hours due to their responsibilities.

However, it's important to note that even managerial employees are subject to the maximum working hour limits and should receive overtime compensation when they exceed 45 hours per week. The law doesn't create a separate "exempt" category that's completely outside working hour regulations, unlike some other countries.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours in Turkey

The legal definition of full-time employment in Turkey is 45 hours per week. This standard applies across industries and roles, though the distribution of these hours can vary. Typically, these hours are spread across either:

   
• A 5-day work week (approximately 9 hours per day)
   
• A 6-day work week (approximately 7.5 hours per day)

Companies can establish their own working schedules within these parameters, as long as they don't exceed the daily maximum of 11 hours or the weekly maximum of 45 hours. Many modern companies, especially in urban areas, have adopted the 5-day work week model to align with international business practices.

What Counts As Overtime in Turkey?

In Turkey, overtime is defined as any work performed beyond the standard 45-hour work week. It's important to note that this is calculated on a weekly basis, not daily. So even if an employee works more than their standard daily hours on a particular day, it only counts as overtime if their total weekly hours exceed 45.

For overtime to be legal, employers must obtain written consent from employees. This consent can be obtained at the beginning of employment or before the overtime work is performed. Employers must maintain proper records of all overtime hours worked.

Maximum Overtime In Turkey

Turkish labor law sets a clear annual limit on overtime: 270 hours per year per employee. This averages to about 5 hours per week, though it can be distributed unevenly throughout the year based on business needs.

Employers who exceed this limit or fail to properly document and compensate overtime face significant penalties. These include administrative fines that increase with repeated violations. Additionally, employees can terminate their contracts for just cause if overtime regulations are consistently violated, and they can file claims for unpaid overtime for up to 5 years after the work was performed.

Overtime Payout Rates In Turkey

Turkish law requires that overtime work be compensated at a rate of 150% of the regular hourly wage (time-and-a-half). This applies to all overtime hours worked beyond the standard 45-hour week.

The calculation is straightforward: if an employee's regular hourly rate is 133.33 TL, their overtime rate would be 200 TL per hour. For example, if an employee with a monthly salary of 30,000 TL works 5 hours of overtime in a week, they would receive an additional 1,000 TL (5 hours × 200 TL) in overtime pay.

The law also provides an alternative to monetary compensation: employees can choose to receive 1.5 hours of compensatory time off for each hour of overtime worked. This time off must be used within 6 months, and employees cannot have their wages reduced during this compensatory time.

For work performed on weekends or public holidays, the compensation rates are even higher. Weekend work is paid at an additional full day's wage, while public holiday work receives double the daily wage. Overtime performed on weekends or holidays is compensated at 2.5 times the regular rate.

Rest Periods and Breaks In Turkey

Turkish labor law places significant emphasis on ensuring employees receive adequate rest during and between workdays. These provisions are designed to protect employee health and maintain productivity.

The law mandates specific break durations based on how long an employee works in a day:

   
• For work up to 4 hours: a 15-minute break
   
• For work between 4 and 7.5 hours: a 30-minute break
   
• For work exceeding 7.5 hours: a 1-hour break

These rest periods are not counted as working hours and must be provided continuously, rather than being split into smaller breaks. Employers are responsible for ensuring these breaks are taken and cannot require employees to work through them.

Between workdays, employees are entitled to a minimum of 11 consecutive hours of rest. Additionally, every employee must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of rest each week, typically on the weekend.

For certain industries with continuous operations, such as healthcare or transportation, special arrangements can be made for rest periods, but employers must still ensure that employees receive equivalent rest time.

Night Shifts and Weekend Regulations

Night work in Turkey is defined as work performed between 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM. Employees who work night shifts have additional protections, including a maximum shift length of 7.5 hours.

While there's no mandatory premium pay for night work under the law, many collective bargaining agreements and company policies provide additional compensation for employees working these hours. This often takes the form of a night shift allowance or premium.

Weekend work is regulated more strictly. The law requires that employees receive at least 24 consecutive hours of rest each week, which typically falls on the weekend. If employees are required to work during this rest period, they're entitled to an additional full day's wage on top of their regular pay.

For work performed on official public holidays, employees receive double their daily wage. If overtime is performed on weekends or holidays, the compensation rate increases to 2.5 times the regular hourly rate.

Many companies, especially in service industries, establish rotation systems to fairly distribute weekend work among employees and minimize the impact on individual work-life balance.

How Playroll Simplifies Employer Responsibilities and Compliance

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