Because of the Christmas holidays, two working Saturdays are coming up in December. It is not too early to start planning: make sure you have a plan for opening and closing times for your business, and arrange for paid leaves, substitutions, and wage supplements as necessary.
Working time and working Saturdays in Hungary
Full-time employment in Hungary means 40 hours a week. This is usually distributed as 8 hours on 5 days, most often Monday through Friday, either 8 to 4 or 9 to 5. Of course, many people work according to different schedules, in shifts or at night, especially if they work in retail, hospitality, entertainment, logistics, or utilities. To their work, various wage supplements may apply.
Regular working time is sometimes disrupted by public holidays (Hungary has 13 of them every year). When a public holiday falls on Tuesday or Thursday, the Monday or Friday next to it is made a rest day to allow for a 4-day long weekend. In such cases, however, the new rest day must be compensated for. This is done by making one of the Saturdays before or after it a working day. Since a Saturday is exchanged for a long weekend, these working Saturdays are sometimes also called exchanged Saturdays.
Upcoming working Saturdays on 7 and 14 December
In 2024, we are going to have two more working Saturdays: one on 17 December and another one on 14 December. Having 2 working Saturdays in a row is somewhat unusual, but this year they allow for an extra long Christmas holiday.
Normally, only 25 and 26 December, the first and second day of Christmas are public holidays in Hungary. In 2024, however, Christmas Eve and 27 December will also be rest days, thanks to the exchanged Saturdays.
- 23 December, Monday: working day
- 24 December, Tuesday: Christmas Eve (additional rest day, offset by 7 December)
- 25 December, Wednesday: First day of Christmas, holiday
- 26 December, Thursday: Second day of Christmas, holiday
- 27 December, Friday: additional rest day, offset by 14 December
- 28 December, Saturday: rest day
- 29 December: Sunday: rest day
While December still seems far away, you can already start planning both for the working Saturdays and for the extended Christmas holidays.
Opening hours, working hours, and timetables on working Saturdays
Regarding schedule, working Saturdays behave as if they were Fridays. In turn, the preceding Fridays behave as if they were Thursdays.
For example, if your employees normally work 9 to 5, but on Fridays they are allowed to leave early, on the Friday before the working Saturday they will be expected to stay full time, but they should be allowed to leave early on Saturday.
Instead of having a full working day on an exchanged Saturday, some companies decide to be more lenient with their employees, and organize various activities, such as training or team building.
Plan ahead
October is not too early to start planning for the upcoming working Saturdays and the following Christmas holidays. Depending on what kind of business you are running, it might be worth considering the following topics:
- Are you closing between Christmas and New Year too?
- If you are closing, which will be the last working day before the break?
- Is there anyone who should stay on standby?
- If you stay open, what kind of wage supplements will you be required to pay?
- How many of your employees will want to go on a paid leave?
- How to figure out substitutions while employees are on a leave?
While paid leaves are officially allocated by the employer, it makes for a more pleasant and productive working environment if the options are transparent and the wishes of the employees are taken into account.
Helpers Finance at your service
The Helpers Team offers assistance with business, accounting, and payroll services, focusing on business owners operating a small or medium-sized company in Hungary. Precise bookkeeping and up to date reports support financial planning, so you can focus on making your business a success in Hungary.
Our team is also happy to discuss wage supplements that will be relevant in December. While wage supplements do not apply to working Saturdays, they will probably apply if your business stays open for the Christmas holidays.
Do you think you could take advantage of working with an accounting team fluent in English, specialized in your business? Then let us help you.
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