Employee working patterns are heavily regulated by Irish legislation. The Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 sets out to protect the health, safety and welfare of Employees by regulating their working patterns. The legislation sets out an Employees rights in relation to working time and the provision of rest periods.
The Act is further supported by regulations requiring an Employer to have in place systems for recording and monitoring Employee working time. Although there are limited exceptions to the Act, the majority of employment relationships will be affected by this legislation. In addition to the above, additional restrictions are imposed on the working time of under 18’s, details of which are also provided in this section.