This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2006)

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page.

Business hours are the hours during the day in which business is commonly conducted. Typical business hours vary widely by country. By observing common informal standards for business hours, workers may communicate with each other more easily and find a convenient divide between work life and home life.

In the United States and United Kingdom, the hours between 9 am and 5 pm are typically considered to be standard business hours, although in the United States this varies by region due to local tradition and the need to conduct business by telephone with people in other time zones. For instance, business in Chicago is often conducted between 8 am and 4:30 pm, while in New York City, business hours tend to be later—for instance, from 10 am to 6 pm.

In Mexico, the standard business hours are from 9 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm.

Other countries have different business hour patterns. Many workers in warmer climates observe siesta during the afternoon, effecting a pause in business hours, and resuming business in the evenings.

Business hours take place on weekdays, exceptions apply for firemen, police men and other. The days of the week on which business is conducted also varies from region to region in the world.

[edit] Non-traditional Business hours

Many businesses and organizations, especially those that actively operate on a 24 hour basis, usually have extended or unlimited business hours as business and transactions take place continuously. An example being a hotel where the facility is open 24 hours a day and transactions can take place at any point in time requiring staffing and management availability at all times, especially during evening hours when guests are arriving to check in and utilising facility amenities.