How very short duration contracts work and why they fit extra work perfectly
The article 142.º regime applied to the daily life of hospitality: when it fits, when it does not, and how to keep the numbers right.
The regime in four points
The very short duration contract lives in article 142.º of the Labour Code. First: it serves an exceptional increase in activity, the peak that the permanent structure does not cover. Second: each contract runs up to 35 days. Third: between the same person and the same company, the total never exceeds 70 working days in a calendar year. Fourth: no written form is required, but communication to Segurança Social is mandatory, by electronic means, preferably before the start.
Why this regime exists
The law understood that some sectors have irregular cycles: hospitality and tourism fill up on a July Saturday and empty on a January Tuesday. For those waves, the classic contract weighs too much and improvised hiring in the dark protects too little. The very short duration regime is the middle path: hire fast, but with a record.
The use cases where it fits perfectly
Occasionally someone is missing and the service cannot stop: the short contract covers the absence without creating expectations or long-contract bureaucracy.
High season multiplies demand: full terraces, festivals, congresses, Christmas. They are peak weeks inside a calendar year, exactly the design of the regime, as long as the sum of days respects the pair limits.
One-off events: a 200 person wedding, a banquet, an opening. A one or two day need, with a reinforced team and a fixed date.
That extra who always fits: the right person, in the right role, whom the company calls when the peak tightens. With 70 days a year of margin, that covers many Saturdays.
When it does NOT fit
It does not serve to disguise a permanent need: if the company needs the person every day all year, the right path is another contract. It also does not serve to beat the limits with back to back contracts: past the ceiling, the contract itself counts as a six month fixed term contract.
The numbers that prevent surprises
Three numbers keep the peace: 35 days per contract, 70 days per year between the same two, and the communication made to Segurança Social. Whoever tracks these numbers through the year never gets a surprise at the end. And the count is by working days: a four hour shift counts one day, just like a ten hour one.
How tempjobs fits this regime
The regime demands three things improvisation does not give: knowing who worked, how many days, and with whom. tempjobs records exactly that: every published shift keeps day, role, address and chosen person, and the company picks among who applied in the area. Publish, notify, choose, record: the complete flow in minutes, with the history in view for the 70 day counts.
Na fase atual, a tempjobs prepara os dados do vínculo para a empresa comunicar à Segurança Social: as partes, as datas, o local e os passos certos. A comunicação é sempre feita pela empresa, no seu próprio portal.
Summary
Pico de procura, falta pontual, evento com data: o contrato de muito curta duração foi desenhado para estes casos. Os limites existem para proteger os dois lados e são fáceis de cumprir quando há registo. É esse registo que a tempjobs traz ao trabalho extra.