Business hours are the hours during the day in which

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

is commonly conducted. Typical business hours vary widely by country. By observing common informal standards for business hours, workers may communicate with each other more easily and find a convenient divide between work life and home life. In

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the hours between 9 am and 5 pm (the traditional "

9 to 5 Working time or laboring time is the period of time that a person spends at paid Wage labour, labor. Unpaid work, Unpaid labor such as personal housework or caring for children or pets is not considered part of the working week. Many countri ...

") are typically considered to be standard business hours. However, U.S. governmental agencies typically operate between the hours of 7:00am and 3:00pm. Standard business hours are a topic of ongoing debate. In

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, government agencies and other institutions follow the hours 8:00am to 4:15pm. Banks are usually open to 4:30pm. Common business is done from Monday to Friday, but major shops are usually open on Saturdays 9:00am – 6:00pm and on Sundays 12:00pm – 9:00pm, with exceptions. In

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, the standard business hours are from 7 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm. (At least in Mexico City, most offices open between 8 and 10 am and close around 6 or 7 pm. Some offices close early on Friday. Many offices have their employees work Saturdays until lunchtime (usually 2 pm). Business hours vary across countries. In many warmer climates, workers observe a

siesta A siesta (from Spanish, pronounced and meaning "nap") is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in some countries, particularly those in warm-weather zones. The "si ...

in the afternoon—typically between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.—leading to a pause in business operations that often resume in the evening. The term ''siesta'', derived from Spanish, refers to a short nap lasting approximately 15 to 30 minutes Business hours usually occur on weekdays. However, the days of the week on which business is conducted also varies from region to region in the world.

Non-traditional business hours

Many businesses and organizations have extended or unlimited business hours if their business takes place continuously. For example,

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

s, and

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

s are open 24 hours a day, and transactions can take place at any point in time, thus requiring staffing and management availability at all times. Recent communications technology such as

smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

s has also extended the working day.

Restrictions

In some jurisdictions, legislation or regulations may require businesses to limit their trading hours. For example, some Western countries prohibit certain businesses from trading on

Sundays The Sundays were an English alternative rock band, formed in Bristol. The band's lineup consisted of lead vocalist Harriet Wheeler, guitarist David Gavurin, bassist Paul Brindley, and drummer Patrick Hannan. Percussionist Lindsay Jamieson was ...

, this being considered a day of rest in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Businesses which serve hot food or

alcoholic drinks Drinks containing alcohol (drug), alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and Distilled beverage, spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered Non-al ...

are also frequently restricted in their trading hours.

By country

Greece

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, business hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are usually from 9 am to 3 pm, while on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays are usually from 9 am to 2 pm and after the siesta from 5.30 pm to 9 pm. Large stores and supermarkets follow an extended business hours schedule and are open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 9 pm and on Saturdays from 9 am to 8 pm. All stores are normally closed on Sundays, but there are several exceptions throughout the year. Banking and civil services hours are usually Monday to Friday from 8 am to 2 pm, with minor variations but are always closed at weekends. All stores and offices are closed on public holidays.

United States

In the

, the U.S. Department of Labor has mandated that companies must pay

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

to individuals who work over 40 hours a week. Businesses often do not schedule their employees to work more than 40 hours per week because they want to avoid paying their employees overtime.

References