Blog
Guides, tips, and best practices for managing team leave and integrations.
right to disconnect Right to disconnect on holiday: can your boss contact you on annual leave? (France, Ireland, Portugal, Australia)
Right to disconnect laws in France, Ireland, Portugal and Australia let employees switch off outside working time, and Portugal bars employer contact during rest periods except for force majeure. Here is what each law says, plus a no-contact policy, handover checklist and templates for annual leave.
menstrual leave Menstrual and menopause leave policy: what the law says in Spain and the UK
Spain gives paid sick leave from day one, funded by Social Security, for painful periods caused by a diagnosed condition. The UK has no statutory menstrual or menopause leave, but the Equality Act 2010 and EHRC guidance expect reasonable adjustments, so many employers write a policy.
California California PTO Laws: Payout on Termination and the Use It or Lose It Ban
California treats earned vacation and PTO as wages: unused hours must be paid at the final rate of pay when employment ends, and use-it-or-lose-it forfeiture is illegal, though a reasonable accrual cap is allowed. Statutory sick leave is separate and need not be paid out.
annual leave Annual leave entitlement in Australia: 4 weeks, leave loading and cashing out
Australian employees (not casuals) get 4 weeks of paid annual leave a year under the National Employment Standards, or 5 weeks for shiftworkers. Leave loading, often 17.5%, comes from awards, and cashing out needs a separate written agreement leaving at least 4 weeks.
poland Annual Leave in Poland: 20 or 26 Days Under the Labour Code (2026 Guide)
Polish employees get 20 days of annual leave with under 10 years of seniority and 26 days with 10 or more (Kodeks pracy art. 154). Education counts towards seniority, with a university degree worth 8 years.
Italy Annual Leave in Italy: Ferie, the 4-Week Minimum and the 18-Month Rule (2026)
Employees in Italy get at least 4 weeks of paid annual leave (ferie) a year: 2 weeks must be taken in the year they accrue and the other 2 within 18 months after it ends. The minimum can only be paid out when employment ends.
Spain Annual Leave in Spain: 30 Calendar Days and How Vacation Works (Art. 38 ET)
Workers in Spain get at least 30 calendar days of paid annual leave a year under article 38 of the Estatuto de los Trabajadores. Dates are agreed with the employer and known two months ahead, and leave cannot be paid out except when the job ends.
annual leave Annual Leave in the Netherlands: Vakantiedagen, the 4× Weekly Hours Minimum and 6-Month Expiry
Dutch employees get at least four times their weekly working hours as paid annual leave (20 days on a 40-hour week). Statutory days expire six months after the year they were earned, extra days after five years, and holiday allowance is at least 8% of gross annual pay.
orthodox easter Orthodox Easter 2027 vs Catholic Easter 2027: Dates and Public Holidays for Mixed Teams
Western Easter 2027 is Sunday 28 March and Orthodox Easter 2027 is Sunday 2 May, five weeks apart. Here is which countries give Good Friday and Easter Monday off, from the UK and Germany to Greece, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine, and how to plan leave fairly.
Golden Week Golden Week 2027 Dates in Japan: Public Holidays, Closures and How to Plan Around Them
Golden Week 2027 in Japan runs from Thursday 29 April to Wednesday 5 May, with national holidays on 29 April and 3, 4 and 5 May and no substitute holiday. Friday 30 April is a working day, so most people get 1–5 May off, or seven days with one day of leave.
Lunar New Year Lunar New Year 2027: Dates and Official Days Off in China, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia
Lunar New Year 2027 is Saturday 6 February (Sunday 7 February for Seollal in Korea). Official breaks run from about 4 to 10 February: seven days in Taiwan and Vietnam's public sector, four in Hong Kong and Korea, while China's 2027 schedule is not yet published.
volunteering leave Volunteering Leave Policy Template: How Many Paid Volunteer Days and What Counts (UK)
A volunteering leave policy gives employees one to three paid days a year to volunteer for charities, schools or community groups, approved in advance. In the UK it is a voluntary benefit, separate from statutory time off for public duties under section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996.
pet bereavement leave Pet Bereavement Leave Policy: Template and How to Run It (UK and Ireland)
There is no statutory right to pet bereavement leave in the UK or Ireland, so it is up to the employer. A simple policy gives one paid day, allows annual or unpaid leave for extra time, and asks for no evidence; a copy-ready template is below.
notice period Can I Take Holiday During My Notice Period? UK Rules (2026)
Yes: you can ask for holiday during your notice period, and it keeps accruing until your last day, but your employer can refuse the dates or make you use it up if they give the notice regulation 15 requires. Anything untaken is paid in your final pay.
holiday entitlement Holiday Entitlement on a 4-Day Week or Compressed Hours (UK)
On a 4-day week UK statutory holiday is 5.6 weeks: 22.4 days. On compressed hours, calculate it in hours (e.g. 4 × 9.5h = 38h × 5.6 = 212.8 hours) so long days and bank holidays come out fair.
maternity leave Annual Leave and Maternity Leave (UK and Ireland): Do You Accrue Holiday on Maternity Leave?
Yes. In the UK and Ireland you keep building up annual leave throughout maternity leave, including bank or public holidays, and you take it before or after your leave or carry it into the next leave year.
ferragosto Ferragosto 2027 and the European August: Running a Team When Italy, France and Spain Go on Holiday
Ferragosto is Italy's 15 August public holiday, which falls on Sunday 15 August in 2027. Much of Italy, France and Spain takes its main summer leave around it, so agree cover by June and brief clients on your August plans in early July.
study leave Study Leave Policy Template: Exam Leave, Paid vs Unpaid, and the UK Right to Request Time Off for Training (2026)
A study leave policy sets out time off for courses and exams, pay and fee repayment. UK law gives no right to paid study leave, only a right to request time off for training for employees with 26 weeks' service at organisations of 250+ people.
Birthday Leave Policy: Template and How to Run It (Weekends, Part-Timers, New Joiners)
A birthday leave policy gives each employee one extra paid day off for their birthday, usually taken on the day or within the birthday month, moved to the next working day if it falls on a weekend, and pro-rated for part-timers. Free template included.
leave policy Last-Minute Annual Leave Requests: A Fair Short-Notice Policy (With Sample Wording)
Sort last-minute annual leave requests by notice: same-day only for emergencies or when cover exists, under a week if the team can cover, and longer requests under the normal rule. In the UK the default notice is twice the length of the leave, so shorter requests are at the employer's discretion.