How can I reduce my working hours?
July 19, 2023 | 40,00 EUR | answered by Sofia Vöss
Dear Employment Lawyer,
I am contacting you with a question regarding my working hours. Currently, I am working full-time and have realized that this workload is no longer sustainable for me. Due to my personal situation and health issues, I would like to reduce my working hours.
Currently, I work 8 hours a day from Monday to Friday. However, I am finding it difficult to cope with this high workload and it is negatively affecting my health. I have already discussed this with my supervisor, but we have not been able to reach an agreement so far.
My concerns mainly revolve around not wanting to lose my job, but also not wanting my health and quality of life to continue to be so severely impacted. Therefore, I am wondering what options there are to reduce my working hours and whether this is even legally possible.
Could you please help me and advise me on what legal steps I can take to reduce my working hours? Are there any legal regulations or collective bargaining agreements that can assist me in this matter? I would appreciate any help and information.
Best regards,
Norbert Widmann
Dear Mr. Widmann,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding a possible reduction of your working hours due to your personal situation and health issues. It is understandable that you want to find a balance between your professional activity and your health in order to improve your quality of life.
In your case, there are legal possibilities to reduce your working hours. Firstly, it is important to know that the right to reduce working hours is enshrined in German labor law. According to the Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act (TzBfG), employees generally have the right to reduce the contractually agreed working hours, unless there are urgent operational reasons against it.
In your letter, you mentioned that you have already discussed a reduction of working hours with your supervisor, but so far no agreement could be reached. In such a case, you should continue the conversation with your employer and work together to find a solution. It is important that you clearly explain your reasons for the reduction of working hours and, if necessary, provide medical certificates to substantiate your health issues.
If an agreement cannot be reached with your employer, you have the option to turn to a conciliation office, the works council, or in case of doubt, to an employment lawyer. A lawyer can help you enforce your rights and, if necessary, take legal steps to reduce your working hours.
Furthermore, it may also be useful to check collective agreements that may contain provisions for reducing working hours. These agreements may offer additional opportunities to adjust your working hours.
In summary, you do have legal options to reduce your working hours, especially if there are health reasons. I recommend continuing the conversation with your employer and seeking professional assistance if needed to represent your interests.
I hope this information is helpful to you and I am available for any further questions.
Best regards,
Sofia Vöss
Employment Lawyer
