Agreement on Part-Time Work

According to Working Time Act, an employer and an employee must agree upon part-time work. It is recommendable to make the agreement in writing.

 In the case of part-time work based on social or health reasons, the employer and employee must make a fixed-term contract in force for a maximum of 26 weeks at a time. The parties can, however, make several fixed-term contracts in a row where they have agreed upon shorter working hours. Also contracts valid until further notice are allowed if the parties agree on part-time work on other grounds.

Part-time contracts should indicate at least the daily and weekly working hours. In addition, it is recommendable to agree upon on the salary, how the shortening in working hours will be implemented, the duration of the contract and the right to terminate an indefinite contract and the notice period relating to it.

The parties can freely choose the mechanism for implementing the shortening of working hours. The shortened working hours can be implemented for example in a way where the employee works six hours instead of eight or four days in a week instead of five.

When agreeing on shortened working hours in connection with the transition to part-time pension, the needs of the employee and the employer's production and service activities must be taken into account. In practice, when agreeing upon shortening working hours because of the part-time retiring, it is important that the part-time work meets the conditions for granting part-time pension, for example in terms of salary reduction percentages.

The employer and the employee can also agree upon fixed-term part-time work in situations where the employee is ill according to the provisions of Health Insurance Act. These contracts are handled more closely in section [Absences due to Illness]⁠.