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Interchangeable Holiday policy

Our new regulation as of January 1st, 2022

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This page can only be edited by The (working conditions) Council. Questions concerning content can be addressed to the Request for leave helpdesk

The recognized official public holidays in the Netherlands often have a Christian background. Because we are a company based in the Netherlands, we follow the Dutch official holiday calendar. Of course, it may be that you prefer to celebrate a different holiday, whether or not it be a religious one. At our company you can!

In the context of inclusiveness, we are implementing the Interchangeable Holiday Policy. With this policy, you may exchange 4 national Dutch holidays per year for any other day of your choice. By doing this, we hope to offer a more inclusive arrangement for colleagues who, for example, but not limited to, prefer to celebrate Ied al Fitr (also referred to in the Netherlands as Suikerfeest), Thanksgiving, Yom Kippur, your birthday, or Christmas Eve.

We trust that you will make a well-thought-out and fitting choice, that you will communicate this change in advance with your colleagues, and that your workload will allow it. For example, if you want to work on Boxing Day, there must be suitable work for you to do on that day.

You may not save these days, so you cannot carry them over to the next year. However, you may make a different choice each year. You must ensure that your own leave administration is in order and clearly indicates your availability at all times. To ensure this, you should note 'the exchange' directly in NMBRS. Also, you must make sure that your Google Calendar (and any additional agreements you may have in your own circle regarding on/off leave) is in order and clear.

How does it work exactly?

Listed below are the Dutch holidays. On these days you are officially free. You may choose to work a maximum of 4 of these days and have a day off at another time.

  • New Year's Day (January 1st),
  • Easter Monday
  • King's day (April 27th)
  • Liberation Day in the anniversary year (May 5th, 2025/2030)
  • Ascension Day
  • Whit Monday
  • Both Christmas Days (December 25th and 26th)

1) Think about whether these days are okay for you, or whether you would like to swap (max 4) days.

2) Consult with your colleagues whether this is possible, taking into account staffing levels and activities.

3) Before the public holiday, register in NMBRS an accumulation of 8 hours of special leave for the public holiday that you will be working. Also, immediately note in NMBRS the new (public) holiday you will be taking.

4) In the information fields for both accumulating the special leave hours and taking off another day, note that it concerns ‘Interchangeable Holidays’. By doing this, you are applying for the exchange in one go. This is an important step! An incorrect request cannot be processed.

5) Adjust your google calendar accordingly.

Privacy

The People circle does not ask for motivation for this change, and you do not have to explain why you make such a choice. Religion is part of your privacy.

Some more details

  • The exchange should preferably take place chronologically, meaning that you first work a holiday and then take another day off. If you take off a day earlier than accumulating the special leave hours, thus creating the situation that the exchange has not taken place correctly, there will be a settlement of vacation hours.
  • Perhaps unnecessary to mention: there is no financial compensation (holiday allowance) for working on Dutch bank holidays. It is your own choice to swap a day, this will negate your right to supplementary compensation.
  • You may not save days, so you may not transfer them to the next year. However, you may make a different choice each year. (But that was also stated above for the attentive reader ;))
  • The max of 4 public holidays that you do want to work must be on a normal working day (Monday - Friday). We do not encourage working on the weekend, so with this regulation, we will not facilitate that.

Examples:

1) You work King's Day (8 hours of special leave build-up) and take Christmas Eve (24 dec) in return.

2) You work Boxing Day (8 hours of special leave build-up) and exchange it for New Year's Eve (31 Dec). This day is after the holiday you worked.

3) You work Easter (8 hours of special leave build-up) and take your birthday in return.