A sabbatical is also called a sabbatical year. It is a work-time model for a longer, planned special leave. The term comes from the USA. There it was coined by professors at various universities as an umbrella term for a leave of absence or research semester. Under the Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act (TzBfG) that applies in Germany, every employee can request a reduction in working hours. There is still no direct entitlement to time off, apart from express rules for public-sector employees and civil servants. A sabbatical entitlement can also be established by contract. Besides the employment contract, the basis is a specific works agreement or the applicable collective agreement. Larger companies in particular increasingly offer sabbatical models. These are not automatically valid for a whole year, though, and may last six, nine or only three months.

Sabbaticals - Models

The simplest way to make sabbaticals possible is unpaid special leave. This requires an amendment to the existing employment contract. Before employees commit to this unpaid time off, they should be aware of a few consequences. In Germany, people with private health insurance receive a legally required employer contribution toward their insurance. Those with statutory health insurance also face cuts. If the unpaid leave lasts longer than a month, the employer does not have to pay social security contributions and must deregister the employee with the responsible collection agency. Even employees on leave must have long-term care and health insurance. Especially if you take a longer break outside the EU, you should take out international health coverage.

The employee can be exempted from other types of social insurance, such as pension and unemployment insurance. Even so, voluntary pension contributions can make sense so you don't lose any credited periods. In the worst case, claims to a disability pension or retirement pension may lapse.

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Sabbaticals - The Part-Time Model

Another sabbatical model is the part-time model. Before the sabbatical, employees agree to part-time employment but keep working full-time for a lower salary. The wages withheld during the so-called saving phase are paid out later by the employer during the time-off phase. The prerequisites for using the part-time law this way are a company size of at least 15 employees and six months of employment.

For operational reasons, however, the employer can refuse the part-time request. The part-time model involves considerable financial sacrifices during the saving phase. In return, employees receive funds during the sabbatical and remain covered by social insurance.

Sabbaticals - Framework Conditions

The length of the time off can be agreed in separate employment contracts, but it is usually recorded and managed as working-time credit in your own time account. There are generally a large number of legal framework conditions that have to be observed and settled in the contract. Employees can build up their entitlement to time off by giving up pay and by accumulating overtime. Alongside sabbaticals, the entitlement to paid vacation remains. Income must be settled for the duration of the sabbatical. Clear rules must also be set on how sick days during the sabbatical are counted. Organizing cover for your role can also be a problem for the company. And getting back up to speed after the sabbatical can be a challenge for the employee, too.

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What should you keep in mind when taking time off from your job?

In addition to the conditions mentioned, the main thing to watch is how your return from the sabbatical is handled. The return to work should be settled in concrete terms. Anyone who doesn't want to lose their job should agree with the employer on a right to return to their original position and a ban on dismissal for operational reasons.

The company may run into financial difficulties during the sabbatical. To make sure the balance saved up under saving and part-time models isn't put at risk, employees should insist on protection in case of insolvency. To insure against an early end to the sabbatical for health reasons, an extension option can also be agreed.