Workers in Russia anticipate a shift to a six-day work week due to the current country predicament, as time remains for four more months.
In a surprising move, Russia is set to implement a temporary six-day workweek for employees with a standard five-day workweek from late October to early November 2025. This adjustment aims to balance work hours in months with extra holidays or extended weekends, and will last for six consecutive days.
The decision, approved by the Russian government, is part of a larger plan to create a single six-day workweek in 2025. This temporary change will result in an increase in working days and hours for those six days, helping to align annual working hours with legal and economic requirements without extending total work hours across the year excessively.
The six-day workweek will affect employees who normally work five days a week. This means that they will have to work an additional day during that brief period in October-November 2025. In return, workers can expect to have extra days off before or after this period to maintain overall work-life balance for the year.
The adjustment is standard labor practice and does not permanently change employment terms but affects scheduling and rest days for those six temporary days. This practice has historical roots, reflecting Soviet attempts to adjust productive capacity with varying workweek lengths, aimed at optimizing industrial output while managing workers' rest.
Russians will have a three-day holiday from November 2 to 4, 2025. Some working days will be shortened by an hour before holidays: March 7, April 30, June 11, and November 1. The Sunday holiday on January 5, 2025, will be added to the holidays on December 31.
Russians with a five-day workweek will have 247 working days and 118 non-working and holiday days in 2025. Work will continue from Monday, October 27, to Saturday, November 1, in Russia. The workday on Saturday, November 1, 2025, will be shortened.
International Women's Day (March 8, 2026) will be moved to June 13. The rescheduling from February 23 to May 8 will apply to some workers with a six-day workweek, extending the May holiday.
This setup means employees should expect a short-term change in work scheduling with increased workload for that brief period, balanced by extra days off before or after to maintain overall work-life balance for the year. The exact dates for the six-day workweek in October-November 2025 have not been officially announced yet, but they are expected to be planned around major holidays as compensations, commonly after holidays like early November’s Day of National Unity.
The Russian government's decision to implement a temporary six-day workweek in October-November 2025 is part of a broader financial and business strategy, aiming to realign annual working hours with legal and economic requirements without excessive extension of total work hours. Employees with a standard five-day workweek will be affected, working an additional day during this brief period, but can expect extra days off before or after to preserve work-life balance for the year. This adjustment, though affecting scheduling and rest days, does not permanently alter employment terms and has historical roots in Soviet labor practices.
