Working time
According to Working Hours Act, Section 5, regular working hours may not exceed eight hours a day and 40 hours a week. Weekly working hours can be averaged over a longer period—up to 52 weeks (1 year)—as long as:
The average over that time stays at 40 hours per week or less.
No single day exceeds the 8-hour limit.
Most collective bargaining agreements provide for 37.5 hours or alternatively 40 hours, but with additional paid days off by which the working hours are reduced to 37.5 on average.
Overtime
Employees may only be required to perform additional work with their consent unless additional work has been agreed upon in the employment contract.
What is considered overtime?
According to the Working Hours Act, Section 16, overtime is the working time that exceeds eight hours per day [daily overtime] and 40 hours per week [weekly overtime], even sometimes in cases where CBAs have less working time per day/week. When a shorter weekly working time than 40 hours has been agreed on, any additional work time beside the regular working time is entered in the work schedule and is not overtime. (Conditions can vary according to the applicable CBA).
An employer and an employee may agree to extend daily regular working time by no more than two hours per week; this is subject to the provisions of the collective agreement applicable in the talent's employment contract. In this case, over a period of no more than four months, the weekly regular working time shall still average no more than 40 hours WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ANY GIVEN WEEK, during which time it may go up to 48 hours, but not beyond.
Work performed between 23:00 and 06:00 shall be regarded as night work.
Employees may be required to work on Sundays and public holidays (Sunday work) only when this has been agreed in the employment contract or with the employee’s consent. However, no consent is required if the nature of the work is such that it is regularly performed on these days.
Overtime compensation
Compensation as payment
Daily overtime: Pay plus 50% for the first two hours worked and pay plus 100% for each subsequent hour shall be payable for daily overtime.
Weekly overtime: Pay plus 50% shall be payable for extra hours.
Pay plus 100% shall be payable for Sunday work.
The parties may agree that overtime is compensated by corresponding time off instead of the monetary compensation. Unless otherwise agreed, the time off shall be given within six months of the performance of the additional work, overtime, or Sunday work.
Please note that the Working Hours Act Section 2 (and the obligation to pay compensation for additional work or overtime) is applicable to all employees with only a few exceptions. In practice, only employees whose working time is not monitored or pre-determined and are
in executive positions (employees who are managing the company or an independent part of the company) or in comparable independent positions or
Performing work with that,e to the particular nature of the work, is carried out under conditions that make it impossible for the employer to supervise the arrangements of working time, and is excluded from the scope of application of the Working Hours Act. This could possibly be e., e.g.,e work of a realtor or travelling salesman.
Time tracking
In Finland, Employers shall record the hours worked and the remuneration paid thereon for each employee.
The register shall contain entries on the regular, additional, overtime, emergency and Sunday work hours and the remuneration paid, or on all hours worked and the overtime, emergency and Sunday work hours separately and the increments paid.
Therefore, YES, it is mandatory.
Source (if any): Law firm Krogerus, https://tem.fi/en/working-hours