Holidays are for relaxation. How you spend your days off is a private matter. The employer must also respect this.
Holidays are for relaxing
In concrete terms, this means that employees are not obliged to read and reply to business emails or answer business calls during their holidays. This is because the right to rest applies during holidays: holidays are there so that employees can recover. The Labour Act stipulates that employees are exempt from their work obligations during this time.
«The principle is that you don't have to be available during your holidays,» says Roger Rudolph, Professor of Labour Law at the University of Zurich, in an interview with SRF.
Reading emails on holiday?
However, the practice is different, especially on the part of employees. A study from Germany shows that 66 per cent of employees also read business messages on their smartphones while on holiday.
This is most likely done with the aim of not being surprised by a flood of messages when they return home. However, employees should not be expected to be up to date with their email inbox immediately after their holidays.
«It is the employer's duty to organise work in such a way that you can relax during your holidays - and that you have enough time to catch up on the latest news when you return,» says Pierre Derivaz, lawyer at Angestellte Schweiz.
Exceptions to labour law
In business emergencies, employees may have to be called back to work. However, this should be the absolute exception.
How to switch off during the holidays:
- Set up an out-of-office note in which you provide information about the duration of your holiday and a contact for urgent cases.
- Assign important tasks and appointments to a deputy.
- Easier said than done: try not to think about business during your holidays.
