What's the normal amount of paid time off? My husband's employment contract gives him 4 weeks (20 days). We were new to Switzerland when he signed the contract, but it seems that everyone else I've met here has 5 weeks. Obviously it's too late to do anything about it now, but I'm just curious for future reference.

20 days is the legal minimum (which is what I get, working for a "give them the legal minimum" type employer).

Some companies give more holiday days the longer you have been there. Others get 25 up front but only national, not Kantonal holidays.

Our neighbour was celebrating recently has he had achieved the length of employment required to get a 5th week of holidays. I think it was 20 years- will check.

Under 20 year olds get 5 weeks by law, over 50s often 6 weeks, and over 60, 6 weeks. For most, 4 weeks is the norm.

Nonsense, as there is only ONE national holiday!

(1st August, and that only recently)

I have always had 25 days, plus cantonal (which are 14 here) and 1st August.

Tom

No, it's 50 years old.

Some firms may give it earlier, or by agreement (when I moved to Ticino, I said I wanted five, and got it).

Tom

My company gives 20 days, 23 if older than 40 (and I think more when reaching 50).

Plus 5 extra days if you are "working hours on trust" - meaning no clocking in/out (and therefore no overtime paid....but also more flexibility to work hours to suit occasional private matters)

Other than factory workers and such, who clocks in/out?

Tom

Most staff grades in Novartis and Roche, for example. That includes people earning ~150'000CHF per year.

And more

But it works in your favour, in fact, as all the in-office hours are logged and any overtime is credited and can be taken off as and when required. Many people do this deliberately to help them take more/longer vacations.

It''s only vice-directors (minimum level 17) who don't clock in, and their days off/holidays are not subject to any sort of checking, so they can take as much or as little as they want. Normally they end up taking less.

What happens when the under 20 year olds reach 20? Do they suddenly lose one week holiday? Do apprentices who start work at 16 have more holiday than graduates who start working at 22 or older? Not much of an incentive to study for some if that's the case.

The moment they get 20 they go back to 20 days. AFAIK universities have vacations too and far more then 20 days or am I wrong?

Last time I worked anywhere that I had to clock in/out was as a teenager.

Last time I had to work overtime, too.

Tom

Of course universities have vacations and usually more than 5 weeks per year. My comment relates to graduates who are always over 20 when they graduate and begin working and therefore get fewer holidays than an apprentice who started working at 16. If their holiday decreases to four weeks once they reach 20 I guess it evens things out but why do they get more holiday in the first place?

They got more holidays to level out the 12 weeks holidays the students of the gymnasiums get.Graduates on the other hand are adult persons.

Depends, for students yes, but for staff.... I get 20 days plus what adds up to 12 days cantonal holidays (e.g. six o'clock bells and boy shooting are both half days so add up to one, maunday thursday, day before asccesion and new years eve add up to just over a half day)

1st job 25
2nd job 25
3rd job 25 with a twist.

3 of those 25 days had to be used over the xmas period, as they closed the office, no say in the matter.

Also, listening to my other office based friends that I had my dates wrong and I cant be going back to work on 2nd because its a national holiday got me in trouble. As, it is a holiday we do not observe here in my office.

However, we do observe the 1/2 days on 15 April and 9 September.

I understand some holidays here are non mandatory and that the employer does not have to give them.

So, if you are in a job with the 25 days with no mandatory allocation of when those days are used, and your employers observes every holiday, be it mandatory or not, you can count yourself lucky.

So I guess it's not unusual to get only 20 days off if you're in the 20 to 50 age bracket. Good to know, thanks for the info.

It's not a national holiday (there is only one, 1st August), but it IS an official holiday in slightly more than 1/2 the cantons (but not here).

Tom

Yeah it would appear the majority of people observe it in Zurich, aside from the Coop and Denner, everything else was closed......oh, and my office