When does business close down for holidays?

Finance, Taxes, Banking, Insurance and Retirement
1
Does Switzerland have a summer like the Netherlands, where business virtually closes down for a month and it's not easy to conduct business. If so, when is the worst time? July or August?

2
Much depends on location.

My little village becomes a ghost town for two-three weeks, usually end July beginning of August. The village over the hill closes down for a different two-three weeks, btw. When a business shuts down depends somewhat on the school schedules.

And in some villages businesses just close down randomly.

Like all things in Switzerland: it varies.

But don't plan on any tight deadlines during the school vacation season.

3
As MelonCollie says, it depends. Usually there is a skeleton staff with medium and large businesses, but if you were applying for a job, then I would not expect

a reply before the end of the school holidays, which vary between cantons, and even parts of cantons, http://www.schulferien.org/Ferien_Sc...weiz_2013.html

4
In many large business such as banks and insurance there is no such break! Yes quite a few people have a holiday but no shut down why would you want to do that?

5
If you work in a large organisation you are not all allowed to go on holiday together, there remains a continuous service maintained by fewer people, but with reduced efficiency in certain specialisations.

Example 1: If you are applying for a vacancy, you will NOT get a reply until the end of the school holiday! i.e. skeleton staff, reduced efficiency!

Example 2: Had you tried to get a special night time fishing license this week at Canton Neuchâtel you would be disappointed, as all the relevant officials went on holiday together!

If you work for a smaller company there are possibly only a few experts in the company, and if one of those is on holiday the company does not function easily. In these situations, usually everyone takes the same 2 or 3 weeks summer holiday at the same time.

Is that clearer now, I hope you understand.

6
Always was clear

7
Thanks everyone, much appreciated

8
No, there is no "Ferragosto" in Switzerland like in France or Italy. There is the holidays-season from early July until late August, and another holidays-season from early September into late October. In the companies, holidays are carefully planned to ensure that there always is a minimum staff at work

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As you are in South Africa, your question possibly refers to ExportSouthAfrica. As even in large companies, the export to particular countries like ExportSouthAfrica or ExportJapan or ExportArgentinaChile is the hands of two people who possibly are out together for two weeks in either June or July or August and then business returns to normal after that break