With the vacation just around the corner, it is the responsibility of HR managers to plan vacations carefully in order to guarantee smooth operations despite a reduced workforce. Sufficient staff must be available and at the same time individual vacation requests must be met.

Automated vacation planning makes all the difference. Digital tools such as ZEUS^® Staff Scheduling from ISGUS make it possible to plan efficiently, transparently and fairly. Thanks to this digital support, HR staff need up to 80% less time and can completely eliminate sources of error. Vacation requests can be processed quickly and easily online. In just a few minutes, they are automatically checked and approved by the line manager. However, employers need to take various factors into account. These include not only the individual needs of employees, but also operational requirements, legal requirements and internal guidelines. But with the right knowledge of the legal requirements in conjunction with smart software solutions, planning can run smoothly. In this article, we have compiled some answers to important questions about vacation planning for you:

• What legal requirements must be observed? In Germany, the Federal Leave Act (BUrlG) regulates the minimum requirements for paid annual vacation for employees. According to the BUrlG, employees have a statutory minimum entitlement to 24 working days' vacation per year, which corresponds to 20 working days in a five-day week. Additional vacation entitlements can be determined by collective agreements, work agreements or individual employment contracts.
• Do vacation times have to be documented? Companies must ensure that they comply with the legal requirements and take employees' vacation entitlements into account accordingly. Careful documentation of vacation times is essential to avoid potential disputes and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
• How long in advance must the vacation request be submitted? As a rule, vacation requests should be submitted as early as possible, ideally several weeks or even months in advance. This gives the employer enough time to check and plan the vacation request. For example, some companies stipulate that employees must submit the majority of their vacation for the coming year in December.
• When or how long in advance must the vacation be approved? Vacation is usually approved within a reasonable period of time after the application has been submitted. You can usually expect it to be processed within 7-10 days. However, there is no fixed legal deadline. However, the employer should process the vacation request as soon as possible to give the employee enough time to plan.
• Verbal vacation request vs. written vacation request: It is advisable to submit the vacation request in writing in order to have clear documentation. However, a vacation request can also be effective if it is accepted by both parties. Nevertheless, a written request is often preferable in order to avoid misunderstandings. If the vacation request is approved verbally, this should nevertheless be confirmed in writing (retrospectively), for the safety of both parties and for the personnel file.
• When is a vacation request considered approved? A vacation request is deemed to have been approved as soon as the employer has given its consent, either verbally or in writing. It is important to record this approval in writing to avoid discrepancies at a later date.
• Are employees entitled to vacation pay? There is no statutory entitlement to vacation pay in Germany. The payment of vacation pay depends on the provisions in the employment contract, an applicable collective agreement or a works agreement.
• Can an employer impose a vacation ban? Yes, an employer can impose a vacation ban under certain circumstances. This may be the case, for example, if operational necessities require it or during certain business hours when there is a high workload.

Automated workforce scheduling is essential to ensure operational processes and to meet the individual needs of employees. By using modern digital solutions such as ZEUS^® Staff Scheduling and ZEUS^® HR-Management from ISGUS, companies can optimize their vacation planning, save time and resources and at the same time ensure transparent documentation.