Swords of Iron War: Flexible Workdays Wartime Relief
Against the backdrop of the Swords of Iron War, the Ministry of Labor recently signed a general permit as a temporary order for this period, under which employers may deviate from the provisions of the Hours of Work and Rest Law in order to allow employees flexible work hours.
The provisions of the Hours of Work and Rest Law usually obligate employers to give their employees who work more than six hours per day one continuous break of at least half an hour and a maximum of three hours-breaks during the workday.
Q&A
What is the Purpose of the permit?
The purpose of the permit is to make it easier for employees to make up for missed work hours, due to constraints deriving from the absence of their spouses or the other parent of their children as a result of the state of emergency in Israel. According to the provisions of the permit, employers may deviate from the provisions of the Hours of Work and Rest Law and allow a break exceeding three hours. Such a break aims to enable flexible workdays for the employees specified in the permit.
Which employees fall under the permit?
The permit applies to any employee who fulfills one of the following criteria on the requested workday in question:
- Spouse of a soldier or reservist or the other parent of such soldier’s child.
- Spouse of (or the other parent of a child of) a police officer, prison guard, employee of the Israel Security Agency, member of an auxiliary organization or rescue forces, etc.
- Employee who is a family member of or the spouse of (or the other parent of a child of) a hostage or missing person.
- Employee or spouse of an employee evacuated from his place of residence by government decision.
How may the permit be exercised?
An employee may exercise the permit at his request and with the employer’s consent in relation to a workday during which the employee wishes to make up for missed work hours.
Does the permit override other provisions of the law?
No. The permit does not allow deviation from the other provisions of the law. Specifically, the permit does not affect the provisions of the law obligating employers to give employees a break of at least eight hours between one workday and the next.
What time frame does the permit cover?
The permit is effective as of February 20, 2024, and until July 1, 2024.
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Adv. Netta Bromberg, a partner at Barnea Jaffa Lande and head of the Employment Department, is at your service to answer any questions in this regard and about any other labor law issues.