It’s great to have a job but who doesn’t love holidays?

Projob is a recruitment and career coaching agency with a focus on expats. Projob works with local and international companies, professionals and freelancers.

Of course you are happy to have found a job in the Netherlands. But what about all those holidays?

Generally recognised holidays

The Netherlands has a number of public holidays but not all of them are generally recognised. Commonly recognised holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, King’s Day, Whit Monday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Liberation day, May 5, is also a generally recognised public holiday, but you may not be free on this day every year. It’s possible your company has a CAO in which is stipulated that you will only have a day off once every five years.

Some public holidays are not recognised, such as Chanukah or the end of the Ramadan. It’s up to your employer to determine if this is to be a paid holiday.

Exceptions are possible; your sector's CAO may substitute a Christian public holiday for a public holiday that is not commonly recognised.

Statutory regulations regarding holidays

If you work for a company in the Netherlands, you are entitled to a minimum number of paid holiday days. This number is calculated based on how many hours you work per week.

The statutory number of holiday hours you are allowed per year is at least four times the number of hours you work per week. It’s possible that your company has given you more annual leave than this minimum. However, it’s best to always know what’s stipulated in your company’s CAO.

Don’t forget to take your holidays!

The law specifies that if you have some days left by the end of the year, you have to use them within the first six months of the following year. If you don’t, you might lose them.

However, if you were not able to take a holiday, your employer cannot apply this rule. Maybe the workload was huge or there was a shortage of personnel, these are fair reasons to hold onto the paid holiday time you have accumulated.

Remember, enjoy your work but enjoy your holidays just as much!
 

Els Brouwer is Chief Content & Innovation Officer at Projob. She has been working with expats and international companies for over 10 years. See what Projob can do for you.