With July 2026 set to be the hottest month on record in Switzerland, many people have been asking themselves the same question: at what temperature do I no longer have to go to work? The answer is that no such threshold exists under Swiss law. The Federal Labour Act does not set any temperature limit that would exempt an employee from attending work, with one important exception: pregnant women do not have to work if the temperature at their workplace exceeds 28°C, and they continue to receive at least 80 per cent of their salary.
For everyone else, the obligation to go to work remains. What changes is what the employer is obliged to do. Article 328 of the Code of Obligations and Article 6 of the Labour Act require the employer to protect the health of their workers. This translates into specific measures: installing blinds or fans, scheduling the most strenuous tasks for cooler times of day, increasing the number of breaks, providing water, allowing remote working where possible, and waiving the requirement to wear a tie. Suva reports that workplace accidents rise by 7 per cent on days when temperatures exceed 30°C. In 2023, Geneva became the first canton to ban the most strenuous construction work during afternoons of extreme heat. In 2026, the Council of States passed a motion to ensure that temporary workers are entitled to compensation when the heat makes work impossible, particularly in the construction and agricultural sectors.
If your company does not implement these measures, the cantonal labour authority and Suva may intervene. It is not a matter of the employer’s goodwill; it is a legal obligation. The fact is that many people are unaware of this, and do not demand it either.