Building up and taking leave: here's what you need to know
Are you working full-time? In that case you are entitled to 152 hours of leave per year. However, at Dutch universities, an additional 80 hours are added thanks to the collective labour agreement (cao). How does this work exactly? Emiel Turlings explains how leave works.
‘Taking holiday, a break from work. For me, a holiday to Spain is the perfect way to recharge. Immersing myself in a different culture and lifestyle from day one. That really helps me unwind.
And it's good for you too. Because work is most enjoyable when it's balanced with workload, vitality, and work-life balance. That's why it's so important to take leave.
How about?
What question should you ask HR, and when should you go to the PSSC? What exactly is the situation with leave and career development? In this section, an HR colleague answers a different question each time.
Different types of leave hours
Leave is leave, you might think. But in reality, there are different types of leave hours. This distinction is particularly important when it comes to the 'expiry' of these hours. Because in some cases, the rule is: if you don't take your leave hours in time, you lose them.
Here are the different types of leave hours you can accumulate:
- Statutory holiday hours – These are the holiday hours that every employee is legally entitled to (152 hours per year for a 38-hour work week).
- Supplementary holiday hours – These are the hours you accumulate in addition to the statutory leave, according to the Dutch Universities collective labour agreement (80 hours per year for a 38-hour work week).
- Compensatory hours – These are the hours you work beyond what is stated in your employment contract (for example, 96 hours per year for employees working 40 hours a week).
When does leave expire?
As mentioned, different leave hours have different 'expiry dates'. Therefore, it’s wise to use the leave hours that expire first. Luckily, our leave system is set up so that the holiday hours that expire first are also deducted first. But it's still advisable to keep an eye on the deadlines:
- Compensatory hours expire on 31 December of the year in which they were accrued.
- Statutory holiday hours expire on 1 July of the year after they were accrued, six months later.
- Supplementary holiday hours have the longest shelf life. They expire five years after the year they were accrued.
When should you plan your holiday?
Since a large portion of leave hours lasts five years, it may seem tempting to save these hours up. I advise against that. It’s better to take regular breaks and truly enjoy your time off, rather than wait until you feel completely burnt out. Because in that case a significant portion of the holiday is spent recovering and detaching from work and the pressure experienced. Work shouldn’t just be enjoyable – enjoying your holiday is important too!
That’s why I’ve already planned a holiday for the end of April to immerse myself in a traditional Andalusian romería. A days-long festival full of folklore, singing, and dancing. Just the thought of it already gives me so much energy!’