I've heard of instances of your employer picking and choosing which one not to take time off, but the most it's been two months.
How does that sound to you? Is four months legal?
We received a message today that our employer announced that we are not allowed to take leave in May, June, October and November. Because we work in a hotel he justifies his decision that these are high occupancy months. To a certain extent I understand it, but four months seems like a lot and especially October when schools close for three weeks seems unfriendly to families.
It's legal.
Feel free to choose another employer.
Amazing...and there’s no limit to it? I mean, they can simply choose as many months as they want without limitation?
Thank you for the quick response!
Perfectly legal and fair. Great news for you that this does not apply to long school holidays and Christmas, for your family.
Find it hard to believe that Oct-Nov are busier the July-Sept
OP, a little (unsolicited) advice: perhaps you might wish to request a moderator if you could change your username? It is not exactly anonymous and your employer/colleagues could easily figure out your identity.
Our company also has fixed periods when you can’t take holidays but I’m not in the hospitality industry. It was also stipulated at interview stage.
Short answer is that employers can dictate when you take holidays, or rather when you can’t.
Why is this a problem?
Tom
very good advice, it is a very small world out there.
yeap, days off are approved, and it makes sense as the employer needs to manage capacity.
I think the only requirement is they cannot deny 2 weeks straight, and I actually think that the employee must take a block every calendar year. But when you're going to take it, up for discussion obviously.
Kalos irthes and good luck
In some industries, the employer chooses the vacations for you, or requires to submit vacations plans with enough forewarning, like 7 times the duration of the holiday etc... so nothing strange
If it makes you feel any better, a hotel I work with, closes for a month in Spring and a month in Autumn and that’s the ONLY time staff can take holiday - unless exceptional circumstances (and many have kids).
It was always the case,that those 4 months will be busier in hotels here in zurich then the rest of the year.
I worked for 12 years the the hotel industry.
You can make holidays overseas, so you are not limited to the seasons here in switzerland.
There are limits. You have to be able to take your legally/contractually mandated amount of holiday, and you have to be able to take two weeks in a row
Teachers may (generally) not take holidays except during school holiday times, so they're even more restricted than you.
4 out of 12 months still leaves you 8 months so this is not too bad.
In every job there is restrictions and period where taking holidays is not possible/practical for the job.
As someone else pointed out, you still have main summer holidays and Christmas so good opportunities?
My father worked in a job like that so we could only go on holiday during those times.
He has two weeks in July, one week in September, one week in May plus all the standard bank holidays.
Depending on where the hotel is, those periods are likely to be in the off-season so perhaps the hotel is already running a tighter ship compared to the high seasons when there may be seasonal workers creating a bit of flexibility for the staff rotas.
Very much the case for spa resorts.
Yes, where we lived in the UK, where one industry was dominant, holiday dates were fixed. We had the first two weeks in July, before anyone else in the England- so wherever we went it was us from our town and the Scotts. And when my dad was a watch-maker, they also had fixed holidays. Much simple and more economical to close the whole factory/ies down fully for a given period.
It may be even written in your contract, together with the provision of mandatory overtime.
I think there are some limitations, either by contract or by law, but these 4 months you mention don't look crazy to me.
It is very common practice and particularly in seasonal activities, e.g. the retail sector before Christmas.
A friend of mine was working as lifeguard/baywatch in Italy. Instead of a season contract he had a permanent contract, but he was forbidden to take vacation Apr-Sep and was forced to take vacation Oct-Mar Many jobs require special conditions, it's the yearly average that has to be balanced.