working time regulations

An employee contract should specify what an employee’s legal working hours will be, but can also include flexibility for the employer to change those hours. The European working time directive provides the basis for our domestic legislation, and determines the UK’s own working time regulations.

Most aspects of legal working hours for employees are regulated in detail by the Working Time Regulations 1998, but when grappling with the detail it is important not to lose sight of the other legal rules that apply.

Health and safety law, an employee’s contractual rights, and the discrimination legislation can all affect employers’ freedom to regulate working time.

Some workers have the right not to be discriminated against because of the hours they work. You need to be aware of the protection that the law gives to part-time workers. Our guidance also summarises the rights that employees have to time off work for various public duties and for study and training.