If your employees work above or near the 48-hour limit, try to get an opt-out agreement. It is more complex because the travel time of mobile workers is part of the working hours. Unlike employees with a fixed place of work, travel time to and from the first appointment of an employee without a fixed place of work is included in the weekly working hours. The 48-hour limit for weekly hours of work does not apply if you obtain the employee`s written consent to work across the border. This is called an opt-out agreement. When opting out, the employee accepts that his average weekly working time may exceed 48 hours per week. An opt-out letter to the Working Time Directive is a letter in which an employer and an employee agree to deviate from the legal maximum weekly working time applicable to employees. It defines the agreed work model and describes the employee`s right to withdraw from the agreement. Farillio offers legal tools and models designed for small businesses and the self-employed.

Using their model, which allows employees to opt out of working time regulations, will help you meet your legal obligations and take responsibility for your company`s journey. You must notify your employer at least 7 days in advance. You may need to give longer notice (up to 3 months) if you have a written opt-out agreement. Your employer cannot force you to terminate your withdrawal contract. The working time regulations and the legal limit of 48 hours serve to protect the health and safety of employees. For this reason, it is important that if an employee agrees to work more hours, you have a copy of this agreement in writing to ensure that you comply with the law. Download our agreement to unsubscribe from the working time policy and adapt it to your company. Read on to find out more about working time regulations in the UK and make sure you comply with the law. You should also review an employee`s contractual terms before using this template. Download your unsubscribe form now or get it directly from Farillio`s website, where you`ll also have access to the entire suite of customizable legal templates. The regulations on working time for road transport also apply to drivers of heavy goods vehicles (trucks) and passenger cars (PCVs).

In addition, they must follow the drivers` time rules, which concern the time you can spend behind the wheel. The parties decide on the duration of the opt-out agreement. You can unsubscribe for a specific period of time or indefinitely. However, it does not apply to workers whose working conditions are covered by an existing “collective agreement” (e.g. B, an agreement negotiated with a trade union which can also adapt these working time issues). Working time refers to the time spent playing a role. This may include training and travel if it`s visiting clients or doing the work, but not getting to and from the office. You and your employee can terminate the withdrawal agreement at any time by giving you sufficient notice at a time – the government website states that employees must notify you seven days in advance, but for written agreements, they may need to notify you further (up to three months).

Your email address is used by Simply Business to keep you up to date with the latest news, offers and tips. You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time. Simply Business Privacy Policy. Employers can ask employees to work more than 48 hours a week, but this is a voluntary agreement so you can`t fire or treat your employee unfairly if they refuse. The provisions on working time contained in UK legislation were introduced taking into account the health and safety of workers. You can terminate your opt-out contract at any time, even if it is part of your employment contract. This short agreement documents an employee`s voluntary consent to withdraw from the legal requirements that govern how long an employee is allowed to work during an average work week. With the exception of the right to annual leave, employees may choose the aspects of the organisation of working time from which they wish to unsubscribe. The opt-out agreement must explicitly state that the employee agrees not to apply the legal limit of 48 hours on weekly working hours. If their working hours change, note the new hours in the agreement.

Employees can withdraw from the opt-out agreement at any time, even if the opt-out settlement is part of their employment contract. To do this, the employee must terminate the contract in writing for at least 7 days. A longer notice period may be agreed with the employer, but may not exceed 3 months. Truck drivers cannot work more than six hours without a break, and the minimum break time depends on the duration of their work: they must keep a written record of the last two years indicating which workers have decided not to do so. You must also keep records of the hours of work of employees who have not logged out. A refusal letter allows you not to apply the legal limit of 48 hours for weekly working hours while respecting the law. The 48-hour opt-out agreement of the Working Time Regulation may apply for a certain period of time or an indefinite period. Employees are free to withdraw their consent at any time, provided they give their employer the necessary notice (at least seven days, but no more than three months in advance). Working time is the time an employee actually spends at work to fulfill their role. This includes any on-the-job training and travel when it comes to visiting clients or others, but not the time spent getting to and from the employee`s workplace. The EU Working Time Directive sets an upper limit for the maximum number of hours an employee aged 18 or over can work on average per week. The upper limit is an average of 48 hours per week over 17 weeks.

Workers or collective agreements may extend the period on which the average is based. Please note that working hours include travel if they are part of the workplace, working lunches and work-related training, but not time spent on the way to work or in lunches or unemployment breaks that do not work. Employers must keep records of employees` hours of work to prove that they comply with the regulations. It is important to keep records of all employees who have decided not to adhere to legal work schedules. This model 48-hour withdrawal agreement from the Working Time Regulation is used when employees wish to reject the average 48-hour week in order to do extra work for the employer. It complies with legal requirements and legally allows employees to opt out of the 48-hour limit. The 48-hour limit does not apply to workers who can independently decide on their work habits, although in practice it is not clear when this exception applies. Special rules also apply to certain specific jobs such as transport workers, armed forces and offshore workers. The 48-hour limit does not apply to workers under the age of 18. Persons under the age of 18 are not allowed to work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. If you have agreed with your employees to change these legal rights, this will be described in detail in a personnel agreement, by .B. with regard to the periods of night work and rest.

This Memorandum of Understanding to abolish the limitation on average weekly working time is in line with the Working Time Regulations 1998. An opt-out form for the Working Time Directive is used when a company has employees who wish to work longer than the government`s maximum weekly working time. This agreement of derogation from the regulations on working time must be written and indicate how long the employee wishes to leave. Our partnership with them allows us to provide you with relevant and high-quality legal documentation for your small business. Here are some other Farillio templates you might find useful: An unsubscribe agreement is only valid if the employee voluntarily agrees to it and any attempt to pressure it to get it signed is illegal. Therefore, it is better to have a separate opt-out agreement. Do not include it in the letter of offer or employment contract. The employee may withdraw consent to the opt-out by informing you whether or not the employment has begun. One week`s notice of revocation is required, unless you agree to a different notice period, but it may not exceed three months […].