Compulsory "bridge holidays" or "Fenstertage" - Germany

Hi,

I don't know whether this topic has already been discussed in this forum or not, but I haven't been able to make peace with the concept of "Fenstertag" in Germany.

The rule in my company is that nobody is allowed to come to office during these days, and only under very special circumstances ( if the project deadline is 2 days away for example) can they make an exception.

Every year, we have a number of them, all around the year ( the last one was on last Friday) and during Christmas time, we have a full week of forceful holidays.

I lose a number of vacations this way (around 10), which I could have utilized in a better way, for example by having a longer stay in my home country.

Or else, if given a choice, then I would rather like to take a vacation to celebrate some other festival which is not celebrated here.

Now here I am, forced to take extended christmas vacation preventing me from having the flexibility and control over my vacations.

Any thoughts? Is this something which is common is all European countries?

Thanks!

I think it is a pretty common in most countries.

It was a fairly standard practice when I worked in the UK. Also there were a lot less holidays than here.

I've in the same boat as you, had to take one last Friday (but luckily for these we can use our overtime), and have to take two weeks off over Christmas as well...not so bad in my opinion though, seeing I will want to go back home for a few weeks, a lot easier asking for one week off before or afterwards than asking for a 3 or 4 week chunk at one time (I know it's the same thing really, but it might sound better to the boss!).

you are right..but for me, it means that I must fly back to my home country during Christmas time only which in turn means, that I cannot celebrate the festivals which I would like to, as they are not celebrated during that time. Plus it gives added inflexibility, specially as the flight tickets are expensive during that time too...

It all depends on the company you're working for. We're not closing down for Fenstertage and Christmas holidays, so you're well advised to make sure early on that you can take those days off - otherwise you're one of the unlucky few who have to hold the fort while everybody else is enjoying a nice short trip during an extended weekend or those two weeks "quality time" with the family at Christmas...Guess there are two sides to everything...

How much holiday would you get in your home country? German companies are pretty generous with holidays, 6 weeks being common, whereas in many countries, notably the US, a couple of weeks a year is fairly normal.

It’s true that German companies give a lot of vacations. But I did not understand what you imply by that. Do you mean that because German companies give so many vacations, they ger the right to have control over those vacations and force people to take say 10 of them, according to the company policies?

It is ok at the end of the day because there are so many of them which we get, that's very true, but still, I was never told something like this before joining the company, neither is something written about it in my job contract regarding this…

I think that Allershausen has a point. With 30 days holiday as pretty much standard, plus about 14 public holidays plus these Fensterferien or whatever they're called, I think I'm on a pretty good wicket, so I guess the fact that they force me to take time off at certain times is not a problem to me...

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Did you ask at your interview about it?

The thing about conpulsary holidays are that for most they get the benefit. i.e. as already mentioned above, everyone can have the popular long weekends or Christmas off due to a complete office closure, rather than enforcing people to work when they would prefer to be off.It also makes holiday managememnt much more easier than somone requesting their 6 week holiday all at once.

I think they have a right to control a small amount of them to the benefit of their business, yes. Even if they control ten, which I can't really see how you get, even with the time between Xmas and New Year, that still leaves you with 20 days, nearly 3 weeks, to do with as you please, which is more than a lot of places ever get.

Going to have to disagree here. I do think it's right that a company should have the right to control them but then it should be open about it and have it in the company policy and the work contract.

blowwavedave, actually, Fenstertage are part of the 30 days holidays..they are not extra..

Holidays need to be requested and they can be refused in the need of the business, within reason. I personally think the compulsary holidays suit the mojority.

As I mentioned in my first post, some companies (mine for example) allow you to use your overtime instead of using a holiday...

Yes you are right, the one week holiday at Christmas time might help for office maintenance purposes. However, there are a number of other FensterTags in my company. For example, there was one last Friday and then there is one more on 23rd May. It's like, whenver there is a holiday on Thursday, Friday becomes a forced vacation and so on..

we don't get these bridge days off automatically. so of course it leads to bickering between co-workers as someone has to cover!
I'd love to have these bridge days enforced here!

Enables you to have a long weekend, 4 consecutive days off. Cool in my opinion.

Jesus wept, people usually like to have a good old moan if they have to go in on a Fenstertag so the phones are staffed.
And here is someone who doesn't want a long weekend!

So what you going to do over the long weekend at the end of May then?
Any nice trips planned sonewhere?

No trips planned..moreover, over these long weekends, all flightU/train connections become doubly expensive...

I do not have any problems with long weekends..nobody has..if they come as part of normal national holidays or else if I plan them myself, then it's def. fine!

I think it's a great idea shutting down for the fenstertagen. They probably just thought it was the logical thing to do, as everyone (or most folks) were taking them off anyway. Good on 'em. Saves some poor sod having to be in the office.

Perfect..! That was my intention..to know what people think of them..seems everybody likes them, and that's why we have such a thing!

Thanks to all the people who shared their views!

The objective of this post has been achieved :-)

Or more likely 4 weeks.

Anyway, companies requiring you to take a certain day off? Gets on my nerves too. My company is not open on sundays, which means I am forced to not work on sundays. Also, I am forced to work between the hours of 9AM and 6PM, rather than my preferred working hours.

Well, thats all completely untrue, but kinda gets my point across.
Solution? Don't like your job? Don't like your hours? Quit. Dead easy.

You're right, mathmatical brain fart there!

I work for a US company. The brutes force us to work on US holidays even when our mother company is closed; if I want a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner I have to take the day off without benefit of a Fenstertag to digest. They are surly about all the German holidays we have and cry out in pain whenever we mention our six weeks vacation per year. Try the nose/grindstone relationship in the US before you moan about enforced holiday rules in Germany!

There is some satisfaction to be had knowing you have more vacation days than your bosses

my offíce shuts for 2 weeks in August and the 2 weeks over the Christmas holidays, I could move to another office, but then there is only one doc and I cannot work when he is not there! That sucks bigtime.
I still have another 3-4 weeks holidays to use as I want, as I get 35 days holidays.

@raingof, you are right to be a little peeved at being forced to take holidays off. They are your holidays and you should be able to choose when to take them. I have never worked for a company which forced me to take my holiday entitlement on certain dates and I would definitely consider it a factor in refusing to accept a job offer, if the company in question enforced such a practice.

As far as i can remember, all companies i've worked for in Germany had "enforced holidays" - with two exceptions, both American companies (and in one of them i was doing shifts with complete disregard for holidays anyway).

The reaction from me depends. Bridge days? Sure, why not. Christmas holiday? 90% would take the time off anyway. But... 3-day enforced closure for carnival? wtf?

Certainly in the Cologne area businesses might close over Karneval.

I think that you will find that companies can dictate up to a third of your holidays.Normally in the case of summer holidays when a lot of companies close down.Gorm 30 days the company can state 10 days when the place of employment closes

It's not really that bad with the enforced X-mas lay-off, plus bridge days.

There are only 2 holidays on a Thursday this year (1 May, Fronleichnam) and 1 on a Tuesday (New Year). Add to that 3 days over X-mas and it comes to a grand total of 6 days. You probably get 30 days a year so you still have 24 days to play with and I'm guessing that that's still more than what you get in your home country.

To say that you miss out on going home because you're forced to take these days is a little dramatic, don't you think? You still have a day short of 5 full weeks left.

But like others have said - if this is still a big issue for, then maybe you need to look for another job...

Wasn't anywhere near there (or Mainz either) though ;-)

Funniest part was that I was supposed to start work on Rose Monday. I.e. I stood in front of closed doors, along with a Swiss guy who was supposed to start the same day, and was just as confused.

As far as my compay is concerned, the next bridge holiday is on 23rd May ( May be, this is applicable only in Bayern, plus 5 days off during christmas time). And I never said that I miss out going home. I said " lose a number of vacations this way (around 10), which I could have utilized in a better way, for example by having a longer stay in my home country."..

And I just intented to know people's opinion on this topic. Please don't make it sound so dramatic. It is not that big an issue for which I would look for another job!! Actually, it was more a discussion kind of thread, to know what people feel about FensterTag. As I said, I know now that majority is in favour :-)

Me too - but my contract is with the German GmbH & hence contract states 40 hour week, so many holidays etc. Does cause some friction with US colleagues however (at the moment) my manager is Belgian so at least not much trouble from that side. US team members want me to cut down the overtime but dont see me doing less...

You poor thing. Up North we don't get that holiday...

Up north we do not celebrate Mary's takeoff day (as it was once described to me!)

I thought it was "Mary's heavenly farts day"

That comes later (August). The one being referred to is Happy Cadaver Day.

Actually, on the point of forced holidays - as a freelancer, I don't like public holidays at all. I'm forced to take the public holidays off and don't get paid for them. I would rather work them and then decide for myself which days I have off...

15th August is Mary's Sky Drive.
And if you're a freelancer you can work from home whenever you like.

Depends what you freelance at and who the customer is. I'm on-site and can't work from home.

You are correct, this year May 22nd is Corpus Christi.

Not true Hazza there is the01.05.2008 and22.05.2008.

What's not true?

1/5 is Mayday
22/5 is Fronleichnam

They are the only 2 public hols that fall on a Thursday this year - apart from X-mas day, but seeing as Boxing day's a public holiday as well, it doesn't make it a Brückentag.

I must agree that automatic bridge days are "lovely". In my old job, the trading desk had to be covered at least by a skeleton crew on the bridge days, regional holidays, before/after X-mas. Can you imagine the "fights" between colleages on who worked when. Bothered me so much when the same people would pull, but my kids are off of school and expected to have all of the long weekends and Christmas/New Years off. I was willing to work the bridge days, but have a long way as a foreignor to travel back for X-mas so can't just stay 2-3 days. Much better to not have the arguments

I think it's brilliant that a developed country like Germany still has so many holidays. I don't know why the English can't take a leaf out of their book! When I lived in Spain, the 'puente' was a new concept to me, as an official holiday, even though my home country has at least one public holiday every month. But the English go the other way entirely. Damn!

It is slightly harsh though, that here they make you take it out of your annual leave. But from what I've read, there are more than enough days left over to make up for it, so I don't see the problem at all.