Working hours

The term “working hours” refers to the time when employee is at the employer’s disposal. The law defines limits on working hours and imposes requirements for breaks, as well as daily and weekly off-duty time.

Normal working hours

The Working Environment Act defines limits for normal working hours: 

  • 9 hours per 24-hour period (normal work day)
  • 40 hours per 7-day period (normal work week)

The limit on weekly working hours is lower for workers in high-strain arrangements, e.g. shifts, nights or Sundays, weekly working hours are shorter:

  • 38 hours per 7-day period for work performed around the clock on weekdays
  • 36 hours per 7-day period for work performed around the clock including weekends

Shorter normal working hours may be agreed in the employment contract between employer and employee, or in collective agreements (tariffavtale). A common arrangement is 37.5 hours per week. In some situations, the parties can also agree to calculate normal working hours based on a fixed average.

Work in excess of the Working Environment Act’s limits on normal working hours is considered overtime.

The employer must ensure that all working hours and breaks are recorded in writing, maintaining an updated overview of actual hours worked.

Normal working hours may be expanded for certain types of work:

Work of a passive nature is also often called passive duty or resting duty, such as sleeping night shifts. This refers to work where the worker is largely exempt from active work, with the exception of short or random interruptions.

In these situations, working hours may be extended by up to

  • 2 hours per 24-hour period
  • 10 hours per 7-day period

Normal working hours must nevertheless not exceed 48 hours per 7-day period.

Example: If a passive work shift is 9 hours, working hours may be extended by 2 hours.

The employer may apply to the Labour Inspection Authority to extend the working hours even more if the work is primarily of a passive nature. In such situations, the Labour Inspection Authority may grant permission to extend working hours to a maximum of

  • 13 hours per 24-hour period
  • 48 hours per 7-day period

Standby duty (often called home standby) is an arrangement where the worker must be available for the employer to call on them. 

Read more about standby duty (in Norwegian only)

Breaks during working hours

If the work day is more than 5.5 hours long, the worker is entitled to at least one break.

How long do the breaks need to be?

If the work day is longer than 5.5 hours, but shorter than 8 hours: at least 20 minutes, giving the worker enough time to eat.

If the work day 8 hours or longer: at least 30 minutes total.

If the work day is extended by more than 2 hours after the end of normal working hours (overtime): at least 30 minutes between the normal working hours and the overtime.

Read more about the rules on breaks in Section 10-9 of the Working Environment Act

In principle, breaks are considered off-duty time, and the worker should be able to spend this time as they wish.

Breaks are considered off-duty time

  • when the worker is free to leave the workplace
  • and there is a satisfactory break room or lunch room available

The break(s) shall not be recorded as working hours, but the timing of the breaks(s) during working hours must be clearly specified.

If one or both of the above requirements have not been met, the break is considered working time.

Breaks are considered working time when

  • the worker is required to remain in the workplace during their break,
  • or no satisfactory break room or lunch room is available in the workplace

If either or both of the above requirements have not been met, the break is considered working time.

Breaks are also considered working time when the working hours are extended by more than 2 hours after the end of normal working hours (overtime). This means that the break between normal working hours and over time is considered working time.

The break(s) must be timed to ensure that the workers are able to truly rest. 

In principle, break(s) should be taken approximately in the middle of the work day. Adjustments can be made, but normally, the break should not be taken earlier or later than one hour beore or after the midpoint of the work day.

Daily and weekly off-duty time

The Working Environment Act lays down requirements for daily and weekly off-duty time to ensure that workers get enough rest and free time.

Workers must get at least

  • 11 hours continuous off-duty time per 24-hour period
  • 35 hours continuous off-duty time per 7-day period

Shorter off-duty periods can be agreed

In undertakings with a collective agreement, the collective agreement may allow for the employer and the employee representative to agree shorter continuous off-duty periods.

The off-duty period can nevertheless not be shorter than

  • 8 hours per 24-hour period, or
  • 28 hours per 7-day period

Minimum 28 hours off duty per week 

The 28-hour off-duty period per week is absolute.

Shorter daily off-duty periods must be compensated

If the daily off-duty period is reduced, the worker must be granted an equivalent period of compensatory rest (hour for hour). The compensatory rest shall be granted as soon as possible, and no later than after the second work period. 

Example: a worker may work for 16 hours, have 8 hours off, and then work another 13 hours. In this situation, the worker must then have at least 14 hours off (11 hours of ordinary rest + 3 hours of compensatory rest).

Read more about the rules on daily and weekly off-duty time in Section 10-8 of the Working Environment Act

Working hours must be sound

Arrangements for working hours must be sound, to prevent undue risk to the worker’s health or safety.

The employer is responsible for assessing the soundness of the specific undertaking’s arrangement for working hours.

Considerations of what is sound will, among other things, include the nature of the work:

  • Arrangements associated with high strain may require shorter working hours.
  • If the work entails extended periods of passive duty or low strain, longer working hours may be acceptable.

How to assess whether the arrangement of working hours is sound

The worker is entitled to adapted working hours

The Working Environment Act allows many different types of individually adapted arrangements for working hours:

flexible working hours (in Norwegian)

reduced working hours (in Norwegian)

exemption from night shifts

exemption from overtime work

Exemptions from the rules on working hours

The rules concerning working hours normally apply to all workers, but the Working Environment Act may exempt certain workers who hold

  • senior posts
  • particularly independent posts

Read more about exemptions for workers in managerial positions and with a high level of independence (in Norwegian)

Special rules on working hours and breaks apply to certain categories of workers

Special rules or exemptions from the rules on working hours apply to certain other categories of workers as well:

Special rules on working hours apply to workers under 18 years old: 

Working hours for workers under 18 years old (in Norwegian)

See also working children and youths (in Norwegian).

Certain workers are wholly or partially exempt from the Working Environment Act’s rules on working hours under separate regulations.

These groups include workers performing field work on behalf of the Norwegian Mapping Authority, police officers, sextons, and workers at foreign diplomatic stations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Regulations relating to exemptions from the Working Environment Act for certain types of work and groups of workers (in Norwegian)

Trade unions with nomination rights (more than 10,000 members) may agree with the employer or an employer’s organisation on working hours for its members that deviate from the rules provided by the Working Environment Act’s chapter on working hours. This means they can establish agreements that deviate from most of the limits laid down by the Act.

Any such arrangement must nevertheless be sound.

See rules on working hours for trade unions with nomination rights: Section 10-12 (4) of the Working Environment Act

Drivers and others engaged in road transport – who are also subject to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration’s rules on driving time and rest periods – must comply with special rules on working hours and breaks. These rules are laid down in separate regulations:

Regulations concerning working time for drivers and others in road transport (in Norwegian)

These regulations have strict rules on breaks:

Timing and distribution of breaks

Breaks to rest shall be taken as needed, or after a maximum of 6 working hours.

The breaks may be split up, for example taking a 15-minute break after 4 working hours and the last 15 minutes immediately after 6 working hours.

We do not accept workers taking a 15-minute break after 6 hours and saving the last 15 minutes for the end of a 9-hour work day.

Minimum duration of breaks

Breaks shall have a duration of

  • minimum 30 minutes if total working hours are between 6 and 9 hours
  • minimum 45 minutes if total working hours exceed 9 hours

Breaks may be split into multiple periods of minimum 15 minutes each. Shorter breaks do not count as rest breaks, but shall instead be counted and recorded as working time.

In order words, a break must have a duration of at least 15 minutes in order to count as a break and not working time.

Section 15 of the Regulations concerning working time for drivers and others in road transport (in Norwegian)

Documentation and registration of working hours for undertakings and workers engaged in road transport (in Norwegian)

The Companion Regulations apply to work performed in institutions, requiring workers to be present for extended, continuous periods. Such arrangements apply to institutions providing special care or treatment services (companion arrangements) for persons with addiction or behavioural problems or unaccompanied minors. 

Regulations relating to working hours in instiutions with companion arrangements (in Norwegian)

See also: 

Child Welfare Act (lovdata.no - in Norwegian)

Special rules apply to workers who perform work in their own home for extended periods:

Regulations concerning work performed in the worker’s own home (in Norwegian)

Special rules apply to workers who perform housework or provide supervision or care services in a private employer’s home:

Regulations concerning work performed in an employer’s home and household (Chapter 4)

Working hours must be logged

All time during which the employee performs work or is available to the employer must be logged as working hours. The log must be kept in writing and provide an updated overview of each employee’s actual working hours and breaks.

This applies regardless of whether the employee is paid by the hour, a fixed salary or piecework compensation.

Logging working hours (in Norwegian)

Does the arrangement of working hours require a permit from the Labour Inspection Authority?

For certain types of work, you must apply to the Labour Inspection Authority for an exemption from the ordinary rules on working hours (in Norwegian):

Apply for calculation based on a fixed average of working hours (in Norwegian)

Apply for extended use of overtime (in Norwegian)

Watch webinar on working hours in the specialist health services

Webinar on working hours in the specialist health services

Regulations

Normal working hours: Working Environment Act § 10-4

Breaks: Working Environment Act § 10-9

Daily and Weekly off-duty time: Working Environment Act § 10-8

Read more about working hours:

Is the arrangement for working hours sound?

Night work

Overtime

Work schedule, shift schedule, rota, shift and rota plan