Israel's Hours of Work and Rest Law in a shift rota

The working day and week

The law itself sets a working day of up to eight hours and a working week of up to 45 hours (sections 2 and 3). Since April 2018 an extension order has shortened the working week in the private sector to 42 hours. Hours beyond these limits are overtime.

Overtime and work during the weekly rest

The first two overtime hours in a day are paid at no less than 125% of the regular wage, and each overtime hour after them at no less than 150% (section 16). Work during the weekly rest is paid at no less than 150% (section 17). For a single shift there is an overtime calculator.

Weekly rest

Every employee is entitled to a weekly rest of at least 36 consecutive hours (section 7). On a rota, somebody scheduled six days in a row is the first sign that this rest is at risk.

Rest between one working day and the next

There must be a break of at least eight hours between one working day and the next (section 21). An evening shift ending at midnight followed by a morning shift at six is exactly the case that is easy to miss when building a whole week.

Night shifts

A shift is a night shift when at least two of its hours fall between 22:00 and 06:00, and such a working day is limited to seven hours. An eight-hour close in a restaurant or an eight-hour night post in security breaks this rule, which is why it is an easy mistake to make without noticing.

A break during the day

On a working day of six hours or more, work stops for a break of at least three quarters of an hour (section 20). In the time clock the break is recorded with the clock-in.

What Mishmarotix checks while you assign

• A night shift longer than seven hours.
• Rest between two shifts of the same employee that is shorter than the company's minimum. The default is eight hours.
• Going over the employee's weekly hours limit.

And in the labour-law report

The labour-law report adds six working days in a row and shifts longer than the daily threshold, across the whole team and period. It is part of the compliance and payroll lock package; the price is on the pricing page. The alerts are shown to the manager and do not block them. For the duty to record attendance itself there is a page on Amendment 24 to the Wage Protection Law.

Worth knowing

This page summarises the general rules of the Hours of Work and Rest Law, 5711-1951. Some sectors, collective agreements and extension orders set other rules, for example for security guards, and further rules apply to young workers. This is not legal advice: for a question about a particular case, ask a payroll adviser or a lawyer.