Author: Büşra Yaren Güney
Publication date: 25.08.2023
We can’t ignore the rights of employees in today's rapidly developing business environment. This is because employees' working hours, break times and holidays are important resources for their productivity and motivation. So, not giving them the rights they deserve causes their productivity to decrease and it’s one of the main reasons why they don’t feel mentally well.
What’s more, companies can prevent potential problems at the workplace by showing the necessary appreciation and respect to their employees. This way, they will increase their success while affecting the business world in a positive way. Here we will talk about the rights of employees over working hours.
Employee Rights and Working Hours
These issues are stated in Article 34 of the Workers' Charter. In particular, the weekly average of working hours is no more than 40 hours of actual work for the period determined in the collective agreement. The rest period between one working day and the next working day should be 12 hours. So, it is important to meet the basic needs of the employee during this given time and the time that they should allocate to themselves.
The maximum normal working time per day is 9 hours. After 6 hours of continuous work per day, there must be a break of 15 minutes. Breaks given in the office give positive results in the communication of employees with each other. Working hours may not be the same for every employee though. Especially in accordance with the collective agreement, working hours may be irregular. For example, the rules for night work and shift work could be harder.
What are the periods of leave?
When we talk about leave, let's first talk about the weekly period.
● Weekly rest means a day and a half, which can accumulate over a 14-day period.
● Public holidays are 14 days a year worldwide. It may vary depending on the country.
Paid leave must be notified in advance and is a state of leaving work for certain reasons, subject to justification.
Let's talk about the number of days that employees can take as average leave.
● The holiday period given for marriage is such that it does not exceed 15 days.
● Death, accident, serious illness, hospitalization, etc. the permission granted to be the companion of first-degree or second-degree relatives is 2 days. If you need to travel due to these situations, you can take 4 days off.
● The permission granted for you to move your house is 1 day.
● Prenatal checks and permits taken during birth preparation and preparation for adoption also mean that you need the necessary time. Therefore, childcare leave can be used.
Annual Holidays
These issues are stated in Article 38 of the Workers' Charter. The annual paid vacation period, which cannot be replaced by economic compensation, should be no less than 30 days. The holiday period or periods will be determined on the basis of a mutual agreement between the employer and the employee.