What is the impact of short-time work on the employment contract?
Verified 29 May 2026 - Entreprendre Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Partial activity is a device that allows the employer in difficulty to make be supported by the state all or part of the cost of compensation of the employee. The contract working employee is suspended and the employee no longer works. The employee benefits from certain rights during the suspension of his contract (partial activity allowance for example). We're taking a look at the regulations.
No, the period of suspension of an employment contract shall not be taken into account in calculating theseniority of the employee.
However, treaty provisions or a usage in the company may be more favorable.
A simulator allows you to search for the collective agreement with the name of the company or its Siret number:
No, the employee cannot refuse the placement in partial activity.
However, the employer may not impose partial activity on an employee who has a mandate as a staff representative.
No, the employee cannot telework during periods of total suspensions or partial of activity.
Yes, the employee can work with another employer if meets the following 3 conditions :
- Compliance with the obligation to loyalty (not to engage in any activity concurrent with that of his employer)
- Absence of exclusivity clause in the employment contract
- Information to the employer of its decision to pursue another professional activity, specifying the name of the employer and the estimated duration of work.
An employee who works for another employer must comply with the rules concerning maximum working hours.
They vary depending on the total suspension or partial of activity.
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In case of total suspension of activity
The employee must not exceed maximum authorized working hours.
In case of partial suspension of activity
The working hours of the various employers must not exceed maximum authorized working hours.
No, the employer has no notice period to be respected to ask the employee to resume his activity in the company.
For periods not worked, the employee receives a partial activity allowance paid by the employer.
In case of cumulative employment, the employee receives the partial activity allowance paid by his usual employer and the salary received from the other employer.
The non-working hours shall be taken into account for the calculation of entitlements to paid leave.
Remuneration varies depending on the holiday usually worked or unemployed in the company.
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Usually non-working holidays
The employee cannot be placed in a position of partial activity during these days.
The employer must maintain the remuneration of employees with 3 months of seniority in the company. Of treaty provisions or a usage in the company may be more favorable.
A simulator allows you to search for the collective agreement with the name of the company or its Siret number:
Public holidays usually worked
These days are compensated for the partial activity. The employee receives a partial activity allowance paid by the employer.
The employee does not benefit from the collective guarantees of supplementary pension and mutual insurance. However, a collective agreement may provide for such retention.
If this distribution is proportional to the length of the employee's presence, all non-working hours shall be taken into account for the calculation of the allocation of participation and profit-sharing.
When it is proportional to the salary, the salaries taken into account are those that the employee would have received if it had not been placed in partial activity.
Yes, the employee placed in partial activity may benefit vocational training measures.
Partial activity affects basic retirement and complementary to the AGIRC-ARRCO scheme.
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Basic retirement
Periods of partial activity without work enable the validation of quarters of old-age insurance for basic retirement.
A quarter is posted for each period of 220 hours during which the insured person received partial activity allowances.
Supplementary pension of the AGIRC-ARRCO scheme
The periods of partial activity taken into account are those compensated above the threshold 60 hours by calendar year.
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