Working time - different meanings of the term

Working time as defined in collective agreements

Collective agreements and organizational agreements

Such agreements contain various provisions on standard working time, the basis for calculating working time, as well as remuneration for overtime and additional work.

• The normal salary laid down in the collective agreement presupposes full-time employment corresponding to an average of 37 weekly working hours.
• “Average” means that the working time may be more or less than 37 hours during certain periods, but, seen over time, the working time must be 37 working hours on average. If the weekly average is exceeded, this is handled either at management level or in accordance with the provisions on overtime and additional work laid down in the applicable collective agreement.

DTU’s flex time agreement

• This agreement allows employees to plan and organize their work—based on the principle of self-management—so that tasks and assignments can be done efficiently and responsibly, while also facilitating a healthy work-life balance.
• The flex time registration includes the working time that corresponds to the normal monthly salary, and the registration thus follows the definition of working time in the collective agreement.
• However, the flex time registration does not include any working time that is remunerated separately, for example imposed overtime and additional work and on-call shifts, etc.

Working time is to be understood as the effective working time covered by managerial rights.

Working time as defined in the EU Working Time Directive

• Working time is to be understood in the sense of “the worker’s safety and health”.
• Time is either working time or rest period.
• Working time is the time in which the worker in question is at the employer’s disposal.
• It does not matter whether the work is paid or unpaid, whether it is overtime, etc.

Working time means the actual time in which the worker is at the employer’s disposal and is a safeguard that lays down an overall framework for the employer’s managerial rights in relation to the organization of working time.

Time allocation as defined in relation to grants and appropriations

• DTU’s financial resources consist largely of external grants and appropriations.
• The grants and appropriations contain a number of conditions in relation to DTU’s financial management of projects.
• It is important to maintain current practices for time allocation on projects.
• There is a strong focus on allocations to specific projects and the associated payroll costs as well as follow-up (controlling)

In this context, time allocation is a term used in relation to financial and auditing conditions and calculations. This is not equivalent to “working time” as defined in collective agreements or the working time directive.