Considering a 5-Day Workweek: How to Adjust Hours and Breaks for Compliance?

Hi all,

Ours is an electrical product design office and we currently work for 8.30 hours x 6 days/week. Our lunch break is 30 minutes. We are considering changing to a 5-day workweek now. This change would provide me with more time in the evening to interact with our Europe offices.

Could we potentially work 10 hours per day x 5 days, while keeping the lunch break at 30 minutes, or alternatively, work 11 hours with a 1-hour lunch break? I am unsure if the lunch break time is included in the weekly 48 working hours as per the S&E Act.

Please advise.

Thanks in advance.

Dear,

Every state has its own Shops and Establishments Act. Please refer to your concerned state's S&E Act.

Regards

Thanks Awvik. I missed mentioning my state. It is Andhra Pradesh.

To my understanding, the A.P S&E Act mentions 48 hours as the working hours per week. I am not clear about the lunch breaks in this. Can anyone help?

Regards,

Dear Sir,

If you are able to go through the A P Shops Act, then you can very well trace the provisions relating to working hours, spread over, and lunch breaks, etc.

Regards,
R.N.Khola

(Labour Law & Legal Consultants)
09810405361

No, working hours should not be more than 10 and a half hours, including spread over. In your case, 10 hours per day and a half-hour lunch break. But the total working hours in a week are 50 hours, which is more than 2 hours above the requirements of 48 hours per week. You need to reduce the working hours by 9 and a half hours of working time, and 1 hour for lunch and tea breaks (30 minutes for lunch and two 15-minute tea breaks in the morning and evening). This will make the total working hours 47.5 hours per week. On any one day, you can do 30 minutes of extra work to make it 48 hours per week by reducing the lunch/tea breaks by 30 minutes from 1 hour.

Example:

Monday: 9.30 am - 1 hour (lunch/tea break)
Tuesday: 9.30 am - 1 hour (lunch/tea break)
Wednesday: 9.30 am - 1 hour (lunch/tea break)
Thursday: 9.30 am - 1 hour (lunch/tea break)
Friday: 10 hours + 30 minutes (lunch break)

Total: 48 hours in a week.

Best Regards, Sajid Ansari - Delhi