For over 30 years, EPP Rechtsanwälte Avocats has acted as a trusted labor and employment law advisor to companies from of the Dach region doing businesses in France. In this interview, Emeline Salmon examines recent developments in French labor law.
LEADERS LEAGUE: What does French labor law stipulate about weekly working time and rest periods?
Emeline Salmon: Under French labor law, employees cannot work more than six days per week. They must be granted a minimum of 24 consecutive hours of rest each week, on top of a daily rest period of 11 hours, leading to a total of at least 35 consecutive hours of rest per week.
The chapter of the Labor Code on weekly rest does not define the concept of the week, however. It can therefore refer to a week of seven consecutive days from any given start point, or a civil week from Monday 0:00am to Sunday 11:59pm. Irrespective, what the seven consecutive days format means is that once six days of work have been completed, employees must be granted a minimum of 35 hours of rest immediately thereafter.
On this topic, what did November’s decision by the French Supreme Court clarify?
It has reshaped work schedules in France. The decision by the French Supreme Court on November 13th 2025 (case no. 2410.733) brought significant clarification regarding the subject of weekly rest periods. The court ruled that the six-day work limit does not apply rigidly nor immediately. Instead, employees may work beyond six consecutive days if 35 hours of rest...
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