Are you still working or are you already on vacation?

A sea of possibilities: working hours, vacation times, time off

Since September 2022, the Federal Labor Court (BAG) has required employers to record the working hours of all employees, regardless of the size of the company or the existence of a works council. But what is actually happening in the company?

• In Germany, a 4-day week model is still rare. Only 7.2% of companies have implemented this model. This helps employees to improve their work-life balance. Most companies (60-70%) see this model as rather impractical.
• Vacation days are set at 20 days, but many companies offer 28-30 days. Interestingly, not all start-ups keep vacation days for all employees. This can vary depending on the employee. A lot has happened here in recent years: The flexibility in using vacation days over the course of the year is not questioned. Employees can also take unused vacation days with them in the next year or receive a payment.
• Time savings accounts are not widespread among survey respondents. These accounts allow employees to accumulate hours worked and overtime to be paid out during sabbaticals or early retirement in the future. Only 16.8% of all participants, especially 42.2% of the larger companies, offer this benefit. It is attractive to companies offering long-term economic stability and accommodating larger workforces.
• As an alternative to conventional holiday arrangements, 38.4% of the companies surveyed offer sabbaticals. Sabbaticals are divided into two groups: 1-3 months or 10-12 months. Larger companies (70.6%) are more likely to offer sabbaticals compared to start-ups (18.2%) as they compensate for accumulated work. Start-ups may find sabbaticals impractical due to tightly integrated employees. Prolonged absences in startups could alienate employees from their expertise, while startups need greater employee flexibility to grow. Providing moderate paid time off options, such as some startups offering 1-3 month sabbaticals, can create a competitive advantage in the job market.

Timekeeping vs. Flexibility: How do we master the challenge?

Talk to us – we look forward to guiding you through the jungle of working hours and supporting you in the implementation!