If the holiday entitlement is not taken by the employee, it expires after a statutory period of three years. This was the previous interpretation.

On September 22, 2022 , the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in a judgment (Case C-120/21) that an employee’s holiday entitlement from the employer does not always expire automatically after the three-year period.

The expiry of the deadline only applies if the employee has been informed of the specific omission . The employer must actually enable the employee to exercise his holiday entitlement by means of a corresponding request and direct notification , i.e. remind him that the holiday to which he is entitled has not been taken. General information such as "vacation days are to be taken" or a regular note on the pay slip with open vacation days are not sufficient.

The judges strengthened workers' rights as they were "the weaker party to the employment contract".

Source: ECJ - Judgment

By the way, a different regulation applies in the case of prolonged illness. The entitlement to holiday expires 15 months after the end of the holiday year. If, for example, no vacation was taken due to illness in 1990, it had to be taken by December 31, 1991, otherwise the entitlement would be lost.

According to a recent survey by the Munich ifo Institute in August , the proportion of employees who worked at least partly from home was 24.5 percent in Germany. First and foremost the service sector. The lowest values ​​come from retail and construction. This is only 0.4 percent less than in the last survey in April. In March, the institute had previously determined a rate of 27.6 percent. So the numbers have only fallen slightly since then .

In March 2022, the obligation to work from home, which had been enacted by law due to the 2021 corona pandemic, expired. The highest value was reached in March 2021 with 31.7 percent.

Obviously, many employers and employees continue to count on the benefits of working from home, at least where it can be used effectively and meaningfully.

Source: ifo Institute - LINK

The ifo Institute (Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich e.V.) is a research institution that deals with the analysis of economic policy.

Just move the table, stack devices and quickly log on to the computer... However, you shouldn't proceed quite so carelessly when setting up your workplace at home, especially if the home office activity is intended for a longer period of time. Unsuitable equipment or furniture as well as incorrect distances can, for example, lead to poor sitting posture while working on the computer, to tension and lasting pain.

The German Social Accident Insurance eV (DGUV) has provided a free checklist that you can use to check whether your workplace at home is ergonomic . Helpful tips are also presented.

For example, a separate keyboard and mouse should be used. The keyboard should be about 10 - 15 centimeters away from the edge of the table. A light keyboard with dark lettering is also recommended. This "positive representation" is easy to read and avoids the tiring change of gaze from the dark keyboard to the bright screen.

You can find the DGUV checklist HERE!

Home office, home office or home office: At the latest since the outbreak of the corona pandemic in 2020, the expression has arrived in everyday life in Germany. But how exactly do you write the (actually) English term?

According to German spelling, home office (recommended by the Duden) or home office is permitted in German-language texts. Home office, on the other hand, is not right.

There is no exact definition of the term. Colloquially, home office describes working from home . Telework or working from home used to be spoken of in Germany.

By the way: Home office simply means study in English, and the British Ministry of the Interior is also called that. The English speak of homeworking, homework or "working from home" when they work at home.

Who decides the German spelling?
Since 2004, the German Spelling Council (RdR) has been using an official set of rules and a dictionary to determine the correct spellings. It is an intergovernmental commission that includes Germany, Austria and Switzerland. LINK!

Duden - more than a dictionary
The Duden spelling dictionary was written by the high school director Konrad Duden and first published in 1880. Until the spelling reform in 1996, the language work, which was constantly adapting to the spirit of the times, was decisive for German correspondence for over a century. In the meantime, the Duden publishing house follows the guidelines of the RdR.

“Life is a foreign language; all people mispronounce it.” (Christopher Morley)

Around 60 percent of the companies that enabled at least one employee to work from home during the pandemic did not find any negative effects on productivity. This is shown by a representative company survey conducted between November 2nd and 16th, 2021 by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB ). 22 percent of those surveyed even rated the effects as positive . Only 13 percent said that productivity had deteriorated as a result of working from home .

Nevertheless, two-thirds of the companies said they wanted to bring their home office offerings back to the pre-crisis level after the pandemic. Internal communication is seen as one of the main reasons for this. The lack of exchange between the employees and the more difficult instruction and training of new employees therefore put a strain on the operational processes.

Source: Institute for Labor Market and Vocational Research | LINK!

The auditing and consulting company EY created a data theft study. For this purpose, managing directors and executives from IT security and data protection from over 500 German companies were surveyed. The study has been conducted by EY Forensic & Integrity Services every two years since 2011.

44 percent of the companies had concrete indications of attacks in the past two years. 28 percent of the companies affected saw an increased number of attacks during the pandemic.

Almost two out of three companies (63 percent) rate the risk as “rather high” or “very high”. The highest percentage so far was 61 percent in 2017.

The managers surveyed are very worried about the future: Almost all (99 percent) assume that the problem of data theft and cyber attacks will increase in the future - 65 percent even expect it to increase sharply. These are also the highest values ​​since the study was carried out.

Source: Ernst & Young GmbH auditing company from Stuttgart | LINK

The Germans want to stay in the home office! A mixed form of office and home would be ideal, at least according to some current surveys. The elimination of the commute and a more flexible division of working hours lead to more relaxation in everyday life. A majority was in favor of a permanent division of the week, about three days at home and two days in the office. The family, your own four walls and also the garden are gaining in importance. For this reason, many respondents have even reconsidered their living conditions and wish for more living space and less “big city life” in the future.

According to a study by immowelt (18,000 participants/May 2021), 53% of working Germans work at least partially from home, and 21% even work five days a week. 85% of home office users want to continue working in the future. Maico unreservedly agrees with this opinion :o)

You can find the full report from July 28, 2021 at https://www.immowelt-group.com/presse/pressemitteilungenkontakt/immoweltde/ )

On July 1st, 2021, the obligation for employers to offer home offices ended
must. An extension was ruled out by the Bundestag. As part of
of the Infection Protection Act "Not Bremse" was an ordinance in January 2021
came into force, which made home office mandatory wherever it was
Circumstances permitted, after previously merely reminding the voluntariness to do so
had been. In the course of the corona pandemic, many companies faced the
financial and logistical challenges. According to a survey by
In February 2021, one in three employees was already working at the Munich Ifo Institute
home off. The gratifying decline in the incidence figures now allows one
Return to usual workflows. But is the way intended?

Even before Corona there was a trend towards working from home. In contrast to
other countries have so far lacked the necessary investments in Germany
in the digital infrastructure, but also in the courage to make changes. advocate
bring relief to traffic and savings in energy costs
Field. Office work in particular can now be carried out easily in one's own office
four walls are exercised, whereas for the manufacturing industry
Home office is largely not feasible. According to surveys, both
Employees as well as employers have meanwhile gained positive experiences.
The terrible pandemic ultimately has far-reaching developments in the
economy started. It doesn't take a crystal ball to predict that
Home office will soon be part of everyday work in Germany too.