The Regulation on working time in public administration bodies provides for a flexible start and allows the head of the administration or another person authorised by him/her to set a different, flexible start and end time for a civil servant. The allocation of full-time working time shall take into account the needs of the working process and shall protect the rights of civil servants to breaks and rest periods. Unless the full-time working time is specifically scheduled by the Head of Unit or by another person under his authority, full-time working time shall be deemed to be scheduled by fixing the start of working time between 07.00 and 09.00 and the end of working time between 15.00 and 17.30 or on Fridays between 14.30 and 16.30. The obligatory working hours of a civil servant shall be from 09.00 to 15.00 and until 14.30 on Fridays. Civil servants working in the administrative units and regional units of the authorities shall have irregular full-time working hours, with a floating start between 7.00 and 8.00 and a floating end between 15.00 and 16.30 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, between 18.00 and 18.30 on Wednesday, between 13.00 and 14.30 on Friday and between 12.00 and 12.30 on Saturday. In the context of the flexible start and end of working time, a maximum surplus of 20 hours or a maximum deficit of 10 hours shall be carried over from one month to the next.
The Rules of Procedure lay down the opening hours of all courts, which are 8.00 to 16.00 Monday to Thursday, 8.00 to 15.00 on Fridays and 9.00 to 15.00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the opening hours for uninvited parties in all courts.The office hours for public records business in all courts are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. and on Monday and Wednesday from 2.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. and on Monday and Wednesday from 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. The President of the Court may fix full-time working hours by fixing a movable start and end time.
I propose that the courts should also coordinate their full-time working hours with other state bodies (administrative unit, municipality, CSD) and their flexible working hours by means of the court rules, namely:
BUSINESS HOURS:
MONDAY, TUESDAY AND THURSDAY - FROM 8 A.M. TO 3 P.M,
WEDNESDAY 08.00-17.30 AND
FRIDAY FROM 08.00 TO 13.00.
FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS:
MON, TUESDAY AND THURSDAY - 07.00 - 08.00 and 15.00 - 16.00,
WEDNESDAY 07.00 - 08.00 AND 17.30 - 18.00 AND
FRIDAY 07.00 TO 08.00 AND 13.00 TO 14.00.
I believe that the average citizen visits and needs the services of the administrative unit or the social work centre more often than the court. Given that these state bodies operate normally with their own timetables, I see no reason why the courts should not do the same. Longer opening hours on Wednesdays would also make it easier for clients to deal with court matters.
This would make it easier for court staff to balance their private and professional lives, which is difficult with the current timetable. The winter months in particular (school, kindergarten, shorter days, etc.) have a worse impact on the psychological state of the individual, as he or she finishes work when it is already dark and is practically at work all day. Many staff members are also commuters and need extra time to get to and from work. There is no doubt that a different court timetable would have a major impact on the quality of life of the staff member, better working efficiency and a positive working climate. Mandatory presence of a civil servant at work from 09.00 to 15.00 and until 13.00 on Fridays would also allow for the smooth running of office hours. This change in working hours is made in order to promote a work-life balance for staff, as there is a lot of talk these days about flexibility, which is not felt by the staff of the courts.