Working hours, overtime and disconnection in Italy: a guide for Nordic teams

A US company hiring in Italy fights the time zone. A Nordic company does not. Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen and Milan share the same clock; Helsinki is one hour ahead. Stand-ups, lunch and the Friday wrap-up line up by default.

That removes the biggest source of friction, but not all of it. Italian working time is more regulated in writing than Nordic managers expect, and the informal flexibility common in Nordic tech teams needs a written frame in Italy.

The frame: law plus CCNL  

The normal working week in Italy is 40 hours, and the average including overtime cannot exceed 48 hours. Many national collective agreements (CCNLs) set fewer normal hours. The CCNL also decides:

• how the normal week is scheduled;
• what counts as overtime and how it is paid;
• daily breaks;
• night, weekend and holiday work;
• whether extra hours can be banked as time off.

Before you agree a schedule, read the working-time chapter of the CCNL that applies to the role.

Overtime is a category, not a favour  

In many Nordic companies, salaried staff on trust-based working time simply absorb a busy week and take it back later. In Italy, overtime is defined and tracked. It usually needs to be requested or authorised, recorded, and compensated the way the CCNL says: extra pay, a premium, or time off in lieu.

Three habits help:

1. Approve overtime before it happens, in writing, even in a short message.
2. Record the hours; do not rely on memory at month end.
3. Tell the employee in advance how extra hours will be compensated.

For senior engineers and managers, an Italian contract can be set up at “quadro” level with a flat arrangement for extra hours. Ask us when that fits.

Rest is protected  

Italian law gives weight to rest between working days and to weekly rest. A late release that runs to midnight followed by an early meeting is a compliance issue, not just a courtesy issue. Plan the next day when someone works late.

The right to disconnect  

Italy recognises disconnection mainly in remote work (lavoro agile). The written remote-work agreement sets rest periods and the measures that make disconnection real. Nordic teams already value this; the difference is that it must be written down.

Short, practical norms are enough:

• define core hours when the employee is reachable;
• messages outside those hours need no answer until the next working period;
• do not reward or punish out-of-hours responsiveness;
• use scheduled send for late-evening messages.

Where Nordic habits need adjusting  

Flexitime without records. Many Nordic employees run flexible hours on trust. In Italy you still need a record of hours, especially for roles that are not at manager level.

Summer hours. Some Nordic companies shorten the day in summer. That is fine in Italy too, but it changes the contractual hours. Put it in writing as a company policy.

Different holiday calendars. Midsummer and the Nordic July slowdown do not exist in Italy. Italian public holidays and the August slowdown do not exist at home. Keep a shared calendar.

Helsinki and Reykjavik. Finnish teams are one hour ahead; Icelandic teams one hour behind in winter and two in summer. Put recurring meetings inside the shared window.

Put it on one page  

A short working-time note attached to the employment documents prevents most conflicts. It should cover core hours, how overtime is approved and paid, and the disconnection norm. Predictable hours also mean predictable overtime cost.

As Employer of Record (EOR), we check the CCNL rules for the role so that your note matches what the contract requires.

Questions we hear from Nordic companies  

Can we use trust-based working time as at home? For managers and some senior roles a more flexible arrangement is possible under the CCNL. For most roles, working time must be recorded. We advise per role.

Are we liable if an employee chooses to work late? If you know about it and benefit from it, it can be treated as overtime. Make the approval rule clear and follow it.

For other differences, see Italy vs Sweden . To price a role, use the cost calculator .