Karnataka Amends Shops & Establishments Rules on Daily Working Hours and Night Shifts
Karnataka has notified amendments permitting extended daily working hours up to 10 hours with enhanced overtime safeguards, alongside expanded night-shift permissions for women employees.
Effective from 1 October 2025
The Karnataka Labour Department has notified amendments to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Rules permitting a maximum of 10 working hours per day (up from 9 hours), subject to a weekly cap of 48 hours and a spread-over not exceeding 12 hours, applicable primarily to IT/ITeS, BPM, and other notified commercial establishments.
The amendment is conditional on payment of overtime at twice the ordinary rate of wages for hours worked beyond the standard daily/weekly limits, and establishments availing the extended-hours option must obtain and maintain records of employee consent, which should be retained as part of the statutory registers for inspection purposes.
A significant related change permits women employees to be engaged in night shifts (7:00 pm to 6:00 am) across all classes of establishments, subject to conditions including provision of transportation, adequate lighting and security at the workplace and en route, a written consent from the employee, and constitution of an Internal Committee for safety oversight as mandated under the POSH framework.
Employers seeking to operate extended shifts or night shifts for women must file an intimation with the jurisdictional Labour Inspector, and in several jurisdictions, obtain establishment-specific approval before implementation — self-certification alone does not suffice in the interim period pending full State Labour Code rules.
The amendment also revises rules on weekly holidays and compensatory off — where an employee works on the notified weekly holiday, the establishment must grant a substituted holiday within the same month and pay wages for the worked day at the applicable overtime rate if the total hours for the week exceed 48.
For establishments with hybrid or extended-hours retail and hospitality operations, this amendment offers welcome flexibility, but exposes employers to increased overtime cost if roster planning does not actively manage the weekly 48-hour ceiling — payroll and workforce management systems should be configured to flag approaching thresholds before they are breached.
HR teams operating in Karnataka should update shift policies, employee consent documentation, and transportation/safety SOPs for women on night shift, and file the requisite intimations with the local labour office ahead of rostering any extended or night shift arrangement.
Key takeaways
- Daily working hours extended to 10 hours, subject to a 48-hour weekly cap and double-rate overtime.
- Night shifts for women permitted across establishment classes with safety and consent conditions.
- Written employee consent and Internal Committee oversight are mandatory safeguards.
- Intimation/approval must be filed with the jurisdictional Labour Inspector before implementation.
- Weekly 48-hour ceiling should be actively tracked to control overtime cost exposure.
Action required
Update shift and consent policies, file the required labour department intimation, and configure rostering systems to track the 48-hour weekly ceiling before extending shift hours.
