Finnish shift work has working-time and holiday rules that are easy to leave to memory. Here are the most common pitfalls in plain language.
A few rules keep coming up in day-to-day shift work that are easy to miss and only get costly afterwards. They are explained here at a general level. The exact limits, exceptions and sector rules come from the Working Hours Act, the Annual Holidays Act and the collective agreement, which we link to.
Saturday uses up a holiday day
Annual leave is counted in working days, and Saturday counts as one even if it's a day off. So a week of leave uses six holiday days, not five. It surprises managers and employees alike. Exact rules: Annual Holidays Act.
Source: Annual Holidays Act 162/2005, s. 4
Sunday work costs double
Work done on Sunday is paid at a 100% higher rate by law. It comes from the Working Hours Act and is separate from the collective agreement's evening, night and Saturday premiums. The real cost of Sunday shifts is easy to forget. See the Working Hours Act.
Source: MaRa TES 17.1 §
The 11-hour rest breaks on an evening-to-morning switch
A daily rest must be left between consecutive shifts. It breaks easily when the same person works a late evening shift and then an early morning one. The breach goes unnoticed in manual planning. Exact limits and exceptions: Työsuojelu.fi.
Source: MaRa TES 7.4 § · Working Hours Act s. 25
Overtime needs the employee's consent
Overtime can't be ordered unilaterally: it needs the employee's consent, which can also be agreed for a short period at a time. This is forgotten when shifts are patched in a hurry. See the Working Hours Act.
Source: MaRa TES 18.1 § · Working Hours Act s. 17
The roster must be published in advance
The shift roster must be drawn up and given to employees well before the period starts, and it can't be changed freely afterwards. Last-minute changes without grounds aren't allowed. Exact deadlines: Työsuojelu.fi.
Source: MaRa TES 9 § · Working Hours Act s. 30
In period-based work, hours even out over the period
In period-based work, working time is assessed over the balancing period, not weekly. Overtime and rest periods are calculated across the whole period, which makes manual tracking hard. The exact rules come from the Working Hours Act and the collective agreement.
Source: MaRa TES 7.1 §
Two examples from everyday life
Cost example
What a Sunday shift costs
An eight-hour shift at 15 euros an hour costs 120 euros on a weekday. On a Sunday the same shift costs 240 euros, because Sunday work is paid at a 100 percent premium by law. Any evening and night supplements under the collective agreement come on top.
Time example
An evening-to-morning turnaround eats the rest
An evening shift ends at 23:00 and the next morning shift starts at 7:00. That leaves 8 hours to recover, below the 11-hour daily rest that is the main rule of the Working Hours Act. In a hand-made roster this slips through easily.
This guide explains things in general and is not legal advice. The exact limits, exceptions and sector differences are in the Working Hours Act, the Annual Holidays Act and your sector's collective agreement.
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