Business hours in China

Working life in China is usually centred on a 40-hour week spread across five days (most often Monday to Friday). General banking hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm. A standard working day is eight hours long. Alternative working hours and systems are allowed under Chinese labour laws, but require government approval. These are categorised under the Comprehensive Working Hours System or the Flexible Working Hours System. 

Overtime and overtime payment

Under general practice employment arrangements, employees who work more than eight hours a day or more than 40 hours in any week are entitled to compensation, as per the following amounts:

• Overtime on work days – employees are entitled to receive 150 per cent of the normal wage rate
• Overtime on rest days – employees are entitled to receive compensatory leave or 200 per cent of the normal rate of pay
• Overtime on statutory holidays – employees are entitled to receive 300 per cent of normal rates of pay.

Also, employers need to consult with their employees and the relevant labour union before having workers do overtime. Generally, extra hours should not exceed one hour per day (or three hours under special circumstances), and no more than 36 hours per month. 

Leave

Employees in China legally must be given at least one day off per week as well as public holidays, according to law. Those who have worked for one continuous year are entitled to five days’ annual leave. However, businesses are not obliged to grant leave to employees who have yet to work a full year. In most cases, employees are given weekends off. Foreign-invested companies typically give employees 15-25 days’ annual leave. 

After hours

In Chinese business culture, activities outside of business hours can be just as important as those that take place at the office. Building good business relationships and trust are very important in China, so expect to spend plenty of time at meeting and banquets with your potential business partners outside of work hours. Karaoke (KTV) is another popular activity after hours, with Chinese business people preferring to establish a strong relationship in a less formal setting before closing a deal. Many department stores and restaurants also often stay open until later at night.

Public holidays

In China, if a holiday falls mid-week, the weekend is ‘moved’ next to the holiday in order to give people more time off. This then means that workers work on the original weekend days. For foreign businesses without experience in China, this system can cause confusion. In some cases additional days will be taken as holidays nationally even though they are not officially listed holidays. When public holidays fall on weekends, a public holiday is taken on the following weekday.

Public holidays offer a good chance for businesses in China to create seasonal promotions, the most popular of which are over Chinese New Year (generally January or February), Valentine’s Day (February 14), Dragon Boat Festival (June) and Mid-Autumn Festival (September/October). Singles Day (November 11) has also in recent years become a popular day for online shopping through Alibaba’s platforms.

More information on public holidays in China. 

Want to learn more? Explore our other China information categories or download the China Country Starter Pack.