Summer Is Coming – How Employers Should Prepare for Annual Leave

As the summer vacation season approaches, it’s time for employers to start planning employee holidays. Well-organized time-off scheduling not only helps employees relax and recharge, but it’s also crucial to maintaining smooth business operations. Below, we’ve summarized the key points employers should keep in mind.

Let’s review how much leave employees are entitled to

Annual leave consists of basic leave and additional (supplementary) leave. The basic leave is 20 working days per year, which increases with age: from the age of 25, employees are entitled to one extra day, up to a maximum of 10 additional days after the age of 45.

Employees with children are entitled to further additional leave:

  • 1 child: +2 days,

  • 2 children: +4 days,

  • 3 or more children: +7 days.

Plan holidays on time – preferably within the same calendar year

It is the employer’s responsibility to grant leave, but employees must be consulted beforehand. With few exceptions, the general rule is that holidays must be taken in the year they are due.

Create an annual leave plan and inform employees in time

Some important points to consider:

  • The employer grants the leave, after consulting the employee.

  • The employer is required to grant 7 working days of leave – outside the first three months of employment – at the time requested by the employee, in no more than two parts.

  • The employee must request this at least 15 days before the planned start of the leave.

  • Unless otherwise agreed, the leave must be granted in such a way that the employee is exempt from work and availability for at least 14 consecutive calendar days once per year.

  • The employer must notify the employee of the leave date no later than 15 days before it begins. This also applies to supplementary leave, but in those cases, the employer should comply with the employee’s request.

At MGI-BPO, we support our clients with up-to-date legal knowledge, practical experience, and tailored solutions – whether it’s labour law matters, payroll, or consulting.

Get in touch with us if you want to ensure that your company handles employee leave in a lawful and transparent way – we’ll make sure everything runs smoothly.

Feel free to contact us for a quotation