Working time is a key issue in HR management and payroll accounting. In Switzerland, it is essential to calculate working time accurately. This ensures that legal requirements are met and all employees are paid fairly. Are you an employer, employee or HR manager? We will show you how working hours are calculated and how to apply legal requirements correctly to avoid errors in working time calculation.
How are working hours regulated by law in Switzerland?
In Switzerland, the maximum working week is 45 or 50 hours, depending on the job. Anything above this is considered overtime. This is either:
compensated with time off or
paid at a rate set by the company or the applicable collective labour agreement.
Employees are also entitled to mandatory breaks, the duration of which depends on the number of hours worked:
15 minutes for a daily working time of more than 5.5 hours
30 minutes for more than 7 hours
1 hour for more than 9 hours
In addition, Swiss law stipulates a daily rest period of at least 11 consecutive hours.
Good to know: In sectors such as healthcare and hospitality, special working and rest time regulations apply. In these sectors, time is often recorded using software.
How does working time calculation work in practice?
The calculation of working time follows clear rules and takes into account:
the hours actually worked
the prescribed breaks
any overtime
Calculation method
How to calculate working time:
Add up all the hours worked.
Subtract the mandatory breaks to obtain the net working time.
Then compare the calculated working time with the contractually agreed target time. Anything above this counts as overtime.
Sample calculation
Example 1: Calculation of daily working time
start of work: 8 a.m.
end of work: 5 p.m.
lunch break: 1 hour
Calculation: 5 p.m. − 8 a.m. = 9 hours − 1 hour break = 8 hours working time
Example 2: Calculation of weekly working hours
Monday: 8 hours
Tuesday: 9 hours
Wednesday: 8 hours
Thursday: 8 hours
Friday: 7 hours
Calculation: 8 + 9 + 8 + 8 + 7 = 40 hours of working time
If the contractual weekly working time is 40 hours, no overtime is incurred. However, if employees work 42 hours, this results in 2 hours of overtime. Depending on the contractual provisions, this is either compensated with time off or remunerated with wages – in some cases with a surcharge specified by the company or in the applicable collective labour agreement.
Can working hours be calculated using Excel?
Excel is well suited for recording and calculating working hours using formulas. It is important to set up the table correctly – otherwise errors can easily occur.
Using an Excel table to calculate working hours
To calculate working hours using Excel, you can, for example, create the following columns:
Weekday
Start of work
End of work
Break
Total working hours
The most common formula for calculating net working hours is:
=(End of work−Start of work)−Break
Example of an Excel spreadsheet
| Weekday | Start of work | End of work | Break | Total working hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 08:00 | 17:00 | 01:00 | 8 |
| Tuesday | 08:00 | 18:00 | 01:00 | 9 |
| Wednesday | 08:00 | 17:00 | 01:00 | 8 |
| Thursday | 08:00 | 17:00 | 01:00 | 8 |
| Friday | 08:00 | 16:00 | 00:45 | 7,25 |
Use this formula to calculate the hours worked per week: =SUM(Total working hours).
What are the advantages of a time tracking tool?
Excel is handy for simple calculations. However, it quickly reaches its limits when it comes to more complex requirements. A time tracking tool takes care of many steps for you. It saves time, reduces the risk of errors and provides a better overview. This allows employers and HR managers to keep track of the hours worked at all times.
With a time tracking tool, you can:
automatically calculate working hours and breaks
save time compared to manual calculations
identify and track overtime more easily
ensure compliance with Swiss working time regulations
Conclusion
For simple cases, Excel or an online calculator are often sufficient. However, if you are looking for reliable management and full legal certainty in accordance with Swiss legislation, HR software such as Lucca is a good choice. It automatically records working hours and provides detailed evaluations of team performance.
Those who record working hours transparently and in compliance with the law are not only investing in efficiency, but also in the well-being and motivation of their employees.
