All employees have the right to a break. Breaks are primarily for rest and refreshment.
The duration of the break depends on the daily working time specified in the employment contract:
- 15 minutes if the daily working time exceeds five and a half hours,
- 30 minutes if the daily working time exceeds seven hours,
- 1 hour if the daily working time exceeds nine hours; in this case, the break can be divided.
The employer can also grant longer breaks.
In the case of flexible working hours and a daily working time of less than seven and more than nine hours, the duration of the break is determined by the average daily target working time according to the employment contract.
The employer can issue a regulation on breaks. For example, he can require that the break be taken at a certain time or in a certain place.
Smokers are not entitled to additional breaks for smoking.
Do breaks count as paid working time?
Breaks do not count as working time. Therefore, the employee would not have to be paid.
There is the following exception:
- If the employee cannot leave the workplace during the break, the break counts as working time.
Source: Work breaks in Switzerland