ITALY | Internship: At work | Work conditions

The Italian economy is one of the strongest in the world. Nevertheless, there is a very high rate of unemployment and there are great differences from one region to another. The economy is characterised by small and medium-sized enterprises. Fashion, tourism and food are the most important sectors.

The normal working week is from 20 to 40 hours. The working day starts at 8.30-9.00 a.m. and ends at 5.30-6.00 p.m.. Lunch is usually one hour taken around midday or at 1.30 p.m. Many firms have adopted a flexitime scheme: if you start working later you have to stop later.

Holidays are about four weeks per year, excluding unpaid leave.

In 1994 the Italian law 626 was passed regarding workplace-related emergencies. Based on this law an employer must:

• designate in advance employees charged with implementing fire prevention measures, the evacuation of employees in case of serious and immediate danger, the emergency rescue procedures, and generally, the management of all emergencies.

All employees who may be exposed to grave danger must be informed of the pre-established safety measures taken and the behaviours to be adopted.

These rules consider both full-time and part-time employees and employees with short or long-term contracts.

• First of all, read the contract carefully before signing and know all the conditions and terms of employment regarding not just compensation and benefits, but also specific job requirements, working hours, etc….
• Once the job has started, the terms of the contract must be respected. Punctuality is essential for success on the job, especially if you are part of a group.
• You must communicate any absence, whatever the reason, by phone to the personnel office and to your boss so they can make the necessary arrangements.
• In the workplace you must also pay attention to behaviour that does not directly involve job performance. As soon as you are hired, it is important to learn the unwritten code of behaviour in your workplace and adopt it immediately.