You are fully entitled to a break (Pause) while working from home (Home Office) just as you are when working in a traditional office, and under the same legal rules laid down in the German Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz – ArbZG).
Details of your break rights in the home office
Legal rules:
If your daily working time is more than 6 hours, you must be granted a break of at least 30 minutes.
If your daily working time is more than 9 hours, you must be granted a break of at least 45 minutes.
The break can be split into several parts, provided that each part is at least 15 minutes long.
You may not work more than 6 consecutive hours without a break.
Home office = normal office in terms of rights
Remote work does not cancel your right to a Pause, and your employer cannot oblige you to work continuously without a break or to waive your statutory rest breaks.
Even when you work from home, your employer remains responsible for the organisation of working time and rest periods.
Your responsibility for recording breaks
In practice, especially in the home office, you are often required to record your break times yourself (manually or via an electronic time-tracking system).
Some companies require employees to document their working hours and break times regularly.
When breaks are not respected in the home office
If you notice pressure from management or see that the rules on breaks are being ignored or violated, you have the right to raise an objection or to contact HR or the works council (Betriebsrat).
Quick summary
Working from home does not mean working without breaks.
You are entitled to legal breaks exactly as in office-based work.
The organisation of breaks is both your responsibility and that of the company, and you may insist on your break at any time.
The authors and editors of this website strive to provide accurate information based on extensive research and the consultation of multiple sources. Nevertheless, errors may occur or some information may not be fully confirmed. Therefore, please consider the information in this article as an initial point of reference and always contact the competent authorities or professional advisers for binding and up-to-date information.
