Employees in Czechia may soon be able to choose their own working hours

The Czech government is considering a new amendment to labor regulations that would give employees the power to determine their own working hours. Labor Minister Marian Jurečka proposed this change, which aims to simplify the process of scheduling work and increase trust between employers and employees. The Senate has approved the bill, which President Petr Pavel now needs to sign into law.

As per the current Labor Code, employees are only allowed to schedule their working hours for remote work. However, the new amendment would enable this flexibility directly in the workplace. 

The new amendment would only apply to certain jobs where it is feasible, such as administrative roles. "This could be, for example, an assistant, a secretary, or a clerk,” labor law expert Peter Hůrka told Czech media outlet Lidovky.cz.

However, this flexibility would not be automatic. Both the employer and employee would need to agree on the change. "The employer is not obliged to comply with the employee," Hůrka emphasized.

The proposed change would also need to comply with legal rules, such as ensuring at least 11 hours of rest between shifts. Despite these potential challenges, company representatives, like Eva Svobodová from the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and Tradesmen of the Czech Republic, are in favor of the amendment. "We have been calling for such a change for a long time and we are glad for it," she stated.

"When, for example, in foreign trade, someone is in charge of South America, someone is in charge of Asia, then a change in working hours can be beneficial for them in terms of communication with customers," says Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce Radek Jakubský.

While some see the proposed change as a positive development, others such as Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions leader Josef Středula, are hesitant. "If we take an industrial enterprise and imagine that someone would just decide when to come and not come to work, this would not work in practice," he pointed out.

According to Středula, it would only benefit a select group of employees and further emphasize the divide between manual and non-manual workers. He also expressed concerns that it could potentially damage the labor market.