Summertime, and livin’ is not easy

Planning the holidays

Many employees start planning their summer holidays early, and companies may also need a holiday plan when many employees are going away at the same time. The company is obliged to discuss the placement of the holiday with the employee well in advance, and employees can demand to be notified of the placement at least two months before the holiday starts.

If the parties do not agree on the placement of the holiday, the company decides this. However, the employee can demand that the main holiday of 18 working days should be placed consecutively in the main holiday period, which is from 1 June to 30 September.

Changing the holidays

As a general rule, companies cannot change employees' scheduled holidays. Sometimes, however, unforeseen events occur. In such cases, the company can demand that the scheduled holiday is changed if the holiday will cause significant operational problems and there is no available temp. In this case, the company will also be liable for any additional expenses incurred by the employee because of the change.

Transfer of the holidays

Some employees want to ‘save up’ for longer holidays. This can be done by transferring holidays from one holiday year to the next, but a written agreement is required between the employee and the company. The parties can agree to transfer up to 12 working days to the following holiday year.

Both the company and the employee are responsible for ensuring that all holidays are taken during the holiday year. But even the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and you may find yourself in a situation where employees have outstanding holidays at the end of the holiday year. In such cases, the company can order the employee to take holiday. However, despite the restriction of transferring up to 12 working days, all unused holidays will be transferred to the next holiday year.

IUNO’s opinion

IUNO recommends that companies inquire about holiday in good time, follow up on the employees regarding the placement of the holiday, and keep an overview of the employees’ holiday entitlements for the current holiday year. Last, but not least, remember sunscreen.