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Leave

For workers, leave arrangements have a direct impact on quality of life, work-life balance and the overall sustainability of working life. The main leave entitlements of importance to workers are annual leave, maternity leave, parental leave, paternity leave and sick leave, so that the worker can recover from being ill. The European Pillar of Social Rights encourages gender-balanced use of family-related leave and flexible working arrangements. Women and men shall have equal access to special leaves of absence in order to fulfil their caring responsibilities towards both children and ageing parents.

Topic

Recent updates

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Working time in 2021–2022

This report examines the average weekly working hours across Europe in 2021 and 2022. It covers important developments resulting from legislative reforms in collective bargaining at national or sectoral level...

24 October 2023
Publication
Research report
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Working time in 2019–2020

The most relevant changes in working time regulation in Europe in 2019 and 2020 addressed challenges arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most focused on short-time working schemes...

14 October 2021
Publication
Research report

Eurofound expert(s)

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Jorge Cabrita

Jorge Cabrita is a senior research manager in the Working Life unit. He is responsible for formulating, coordinating and managing European-wide research, and promoting the...

Senior research manager,
Working life research unit
Publications results (14)

Individual employment relations - Q1 2014 (EurWORK topical update)

This article presents some of the key developments and research findings on aspects of individual employment relations in the EU during the first quarter of 2014. The terms and conditions of employment, entitlements and obligations and aspects related to the termination of the employment

18 February 2015
Publication
Research report
Labour law
Leave
Non-standard employment
Working conditions
Employment and labour markets
Industrial relations
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Social dialogue, working time arrangements and work–life balance in European companies

Working time policies, although designed within the national and sectoral framework and the boundaries of institutional regulations, are fine-tuned and implemented at the level of each company, taking account of the environment in which the company operates and the workforce it is employing. Hence

08 December 2009
Publication
Research report
Retirement
Social dialogue
Working time
Working conditions
Work-life balance
Industrial relations
Leave
Working conditions and sustainable work
Industrial relations and social dialogue

Parental leave in European companies

The Foundation’s Company Survey on Working Time and Work–Life Balance 2004–2005 set out to map the use of a variety of working time arrangements in companies, to assess the reasons for their introduction and their impact. This analytical report addresses the issue of parental leave as well as other

17 June 2008
Publication
Research report
Working time
Working conditions
Gender equality
Leave
Working conditions and sustainable work

EIRObserver (Issue 6/04)

The comparative supplement in this issue of EIRObserver looks at the current position on family-related leave in 19 EU Member States and Norway, focusing on regulation by collective bargaining. The supplement also examines the views of trade unions and employers on this issue and assesses the impact

30 November 2004
Publication
Other
Gender equality
Industrial relations
Leave
Industrial relations and social dialogue
Online resources results (102)

Working hours and equal opportunities in recent company-level bargaining

The Italian Government's October 1997 commitment to reducing the working week to 35 hours, starting from 1 January 2001, has given new impetus to the debate over the reduction of working hours. In particular, the possibility of obtaining such a reduction by law has been openly questioned. This

27 October 1997
Article
Collective bargaining
Working time
Labour and social regulation
Discrimination at work
Non-standard employment
Leave
Working conditions
Working conditions and sustainable work

Labour Inspectorate report indicates increased compliance with law

The annual report of the Labour Inspectorate (Arbeitsinspektion) for 1995, has now become available to the public after debate in parliament. The Arbeitsinspektion's activities are regulated by the 1993 Labour Inspection Act (Arbeitsinspektionsgesetz, ArbIG). This stipulates that the Labour

27 April 1997
Article
Health and well-being at work
Labour law
Working time
Leave
Working conditions
Labour and social regulation
Working conditions and sustainable work
Blogs results (1)
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Progress in paternity and parental leave for fathers – Are baby steps enough?

Few events challenge the equilibrium between work and life like the arrival of a child. As gender roles continue to change in Europe, supporting the uptake of paternity and parental leave among fathers is fundamental, not just to close the ‘caring gap’ between men and women, but also to provide the

11 October 2018
Christine Aumayr-Pintar
Blog
Working conditions and sustainable work
Work-life balance
Gender equality
Leave

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