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Working days, business days:what's the difference?

Working days are the days when the stores are open and the employees work either from Monday to Saturday. Business days are those when a business is 100% active. Most often it is Monday to Friday. This distinction makes it possible in particular to calculate paid leave. Working Days, Working Days:What's the Difference? Here are some details.

Definition:what is a business day?

Working days correspond to all days of the week, with the exception of the weekly rest day, which is most often Sundays, and public holidays. Working days are those on which it is legal to work. There are normally 6 working days in the week. In the vast majority of cases, working days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Definition:What is a business day?

Working days are the days of the week that are actually worked, in other words those during which businesses are actually open. These are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. A week therefore normally comprises 5 working days and 6 working days. This difference comes from the fact that companies cease their activity on Saturdays. This day is working but it is not working.

The difference between working day and working day

The difference between a working day or a working day concerns the calculation of paid holidays. Working days are taken into account for the calculation of paid leave and for the count of sick days and absence. For example, a week of paid vacation will represent 6 working days and therefore 6 days to ask for the employee. Some companies have different rules and count vacation days as working days and not working days. If so, they are indicated in the collective agreement.

Business day, business day:what does it matter?

It is essential to clearly distinguish working days from working days. This difference allows to have different information like:

  • the availability of a company,
  • the delivery time,
  • the time it takes to complete a project.

If a company announces the completion of a service in 3 working days, this means that Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are not included in the count.

Take the example of the Post Office. The postal service operator has branches open from Monday to Saturday inclusive, i.e. 6 working days. Moreover, delivery times for mail and parcels from the Post Office are expressed in working days. Also, a package sent on a Friday (morning) will be delivered in two working days. So it will arrive on Monday.

Business days, business days:what to remember

In France, in a year, we have 11 public holidays. The Labor Code defines public holidays in article L3133-13. Here is the list:

  • New Year's Day (January 1),
  • Easter Monday,
  • International Workers' Day (May 1),
  • May 8, 1945 (May 8),
  • Ascension,
  • Whit Monday,
  • National Day (July 14),
  • the Assumption (August 15),
  • All Saints' Day (November 1),
  • the armistice of 1918 (November 11),
  • Christmas Day (December 25).

For the counting of the year 2021, it is necessary to exclude 4 public holidays because these fall on the weekend. Of the 365 days that make up the year:

  • 52 are Saturdays,
  • 52 are Sundays,
  • 7 are public holidays,
  • 254 working days in 2021.

Each year, you will find in a few clicks the composition of a year. This is a reference for accountants.

Pay for public holidays

Some industries work on public holidays. Provisions are made for these employees. In addition to receiving their usual remuneration, he benefits from a salary increased by 50% or the rest time also increased by 50%. To know the provisions applied in his company, an employee can refer to his employment contract but also to the collective agreement of his company.