Deloitte Legal Update 17/2026 – Part-Time Work Entitlements in Employment Relationships

An increasing number of employees are seeking more flexible working hours in order to balance family obligations, childcare, or caring for close relatives with their professional responsibilities. Employers regularly face the question of whether, and under what conditions, an employee is entitled to reduce their working hours. The legal framework is complex. Depending on the employee's personal circumstances, various statutory grounds for entitlement may apply, each with its own legal requirements for employers.

In addition to the general right to part-time work under Section 8 of the Part Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act (TzBfG), other part-time entitlements are becoming increasingly important in practice. These include those under the Care Leave Act and the Family Care Leave Act. Errors when processing such requests can lead to avoidable organisational problems or legal disputes, including court proceedings seeking to enforce the requested reduction in working hours.

In our webcast, we provide an overview of the most important legal options for reducing working hours, while also highlighting the discretion that employers have when reviewing and processing part-time requests. We distinguish between individual entitlements, examining eligibility requirements and typical points of contention in relation to:

• part-time entitlement under Section 8 TzBfG
• bridge part-time work under Section 9a TzBfG
• part-time work during parental leave under Section 15 of the Federal Parental Leave Act (BEEG)
• entitlements under the Care Leave Act and the Family Care Leave Act
  

You will also receive practical guidance on deadlines, procedural requirements and the options available to employers for rejecting requests.

The webcast is aimed in particular at those responsible for human resources, legal and compliance, as well as at managers who decide on part-time requests.

The webcast will be hosted by our Deloitte Legal labour law experts Frauke Heudtlaß and Annina Backhaus. Following the presentations, both will be available for a dedicated Q&A session to discuss the topics relevant to you.

Register now and submit your questions for the Q&A session when registering so that we can address them specifically. You are of course also welcome to raise your questions during the webcast. We look forward to welcoming you on 4 November 2026.

Reach out!