Hoarding free days is now impossible
VW deprives managers of holiday bonuses
November 25, 2023, 4:23 p.m
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Managers at VW have previously been able to accumulate vacation days beyond annual limits. In some cases, unmined holiday mountains of several months are said to have been created. This is now over. The group is standardizing vacation regulations – and can thus polish up its balance sheet somewhat.
Volkswagen is adapting its vacation regulations for members of management to those of collective bargaining employees. Until now, the rule was that managers did not have to take their annual vacation in the same year like other VW employees. You could also save it indefinitely until a later date. This will end in 2024, as “Spiegel” reports. “The new regulation for management aligns the vacation regulations in the collective bargaining area,” said a VW spokeswoman. It is also about standardizing human resources processes. The vacation serves to relax and protect the health of all employees. Management members have a responsibility through their role model function. It was said that by adapting the vacation regulations, this role model function would be met.
Specifically, according to the new requirements, annual vacation must now also be taken within the calendar year in management circles, including senior employees. “In the event of a transfer to the following year, the remaining vacation entitlement can be withdrawn without an application up to a maximum of March 31 of the following year,” said the spokeswoman. This regulation also applies to collective bargaining employees.
The “Spiegel” had reported that individual VW executives had accumulated several months of vacation entitlements based on the previous regulations. For VW, this unlimited transferability of remaining vacation days is annoying. Because if remaining vacation is carried over to a next year, employers must make provisions for it. Europe’s largest car manufacturer is currently working on a billion-dollar savings program. CEO Oliver Blume set new return targets for all of the group’s brands in the summer, which are to be achieved through savings and additional revenue opportunities. There is also talk of workforce reductions at VW.