Working Life > Working Hours > Standby Duty

Standby Duty: inbetween Working and Resting Time

Definition, Explanation

Standby duty is widely discussed in public and in the media. Doctors inhospitals, also chemists, must be available around the clock, to maintain, in cases of emergency, the medical care. Also in home service, in IT and communication despartments, standby duty makes up a large part of the working hours.

Standby duty is defined as the employee's having to be at a certain place, out of normal working hours, in order to be able to work fully in case of need. Other than in on-call duty, the employee cannot choose the place to be, freely. Standby duty is done in addition to regular working hours. In laws of occupational health and safety, it is treated as part of the working hours – independently on the real amount of work during standby. There are constraints regarding working breaks, as well as limits of maximal working hours and resting periods of at least 11 hours.

Since the employee, normally, is less required to work, in standby duty, than in the normal working hours, stnadby duty can be paid less than full work. One can however, apply for a compensatory time off.

There is no categorical obligation to do standby duty. However, an employment contract or a works agreement or a collective agreement can make it obligatory. In certain professions, like doctor or trucker, standby duty is part of the employment relationship.

Tips, Checklist

• Inform yourself about what principles regulate standby duty in your company
• The works council must be incorporated, like in regulatingworking hours. The works council makes sure that laws protecting employees are abided by.

Last update: 02/03/2011