Sabbatical

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The sabbatical or sabbatical year is a working time model for longer special leave .

The US term sabbatical (from Hebrew shabat: 'to stop', 'rest'), after the sabbatical year in the Torah ( Bible ), was coined by professors at US universities as a term for a research semester or a semester off .

In a broader sense, sabbatical / sabbatical year or gap year describes a period of part-time work or time off.

Such breaks have been possible at European universities since the 1990s and are increasingly being used. Similar regulations are also developing in business, especially in larger companies.

Reasons, goals

What the sabbatical is used for in detail is generally free. The most common reasons to withdraw from the world of work for a longer period of time are

Framework

The duration of time off can be agreed through special employment contracts, but is usually managed by working time credit in a separate time account.

There are a number of legal framework conditions that have to be contractually regulated:

  • How can the employee build up a time off entitlement? By waiving wages , by building up extra hours, by working overtime , see long-term account .
  • In addition to the sabbatical, do you still have the right to paid leave or has it been paid for?
  • Does the income remain constant throughout the time or is it higher / lower during the time off?
  • Clear rules must be made as to whether and how periods of sick leave are taken into account in the sabbatical.

The organization of the representation can cause problems . Re-training after a sabbatical can also be problematic for the employee.

Regulations for civil servants

In Germany civil servants have the option of working for two thirds to six sevenths of their normal salary for a period of two to six years. For this, you can then take full leave of absence for a year and will also receive two thirds to six sevenths of your salary this year. The principles of the sabbatical are regulated in Germany by the applicable civil service laws. The details are specified in accordance with the regulations at federal or state level.

In Austria, civil servants and contract employees have the option of taking a year off if there are no business reasons to the contrary and if the employee has already worked for a certain period in the public service (e.g. five years in the federal service, six years in the Vienna regional service) . The framework time is usually five years (including one year off), during which the employee receives 80 percent of the usual monthly salary. Shorter framework times and free time can also be agreed (regulated in Section 20a of the Contractual Employees Act or Section 78e of the Civil Servants Act).

In Switzerland, depending on the authority, length of employment and canton, there is the option of taking unpaid leave for a year and then returning to the same position. For this time, however, there is no wage and the pension fund and insurance money must be borne by the employee himself on a transitional basis.

State funding

In Germany, similar or even the same regulations apply to some professional groups as public employees as to civil servants. This must be clarified with the department in each individual case.

In Austria there is the possibility for the professional groups of public employees to take a sabbatical (year off). This professional break is not linked to further training. The prerequisites are that there are no business reasons opposing this and that the employee has already worked in the public service for a certain period of time. During a year off, the employment relationship remains in effect - even shorter periods of leave, e.g. B. several months can be agreed. A framework period is agreed for the savings, during which the employee only receives part of the usual monthly salary. For example: During a five-year framework period, 80 percent of the monthly salary is paid out, but one year off can be taken.

In Denmark , the state financially supports work breaks for sabbatical periods. This gives employees a greater incentive to take a break from gainful employment. The vacant positions are ideally filled by the long-term unemployed until the holidaymaker returns. This makes it easier for them to return to work. The Netherlands and Finland have also introduced similar programs. In Germany, something like this is not yet integrated into everyday work. However, various support programs can be used for a sabbatical within the framework of parental leave in accordance with the Federal Parents and Child Care Allowance Act (BEEG).

Origins

Origins from the Hebrew šabat : stop with something, pause. Another explanation comes from Sheba (seven): the seventh day, the seventh year. The sabbatical year is the last in a series of seven years; then slaves are to be released, and fields and vineyards are also to lie fallow. Anything that grows belongs to the poor. ( Bible , Book of Exodus 23, 10 f. And Book of Deuteronomy 15, 12–15)

The sabbath year denotes a divine commandment described in the Torah :

“And the Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai : Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you come into the land that I am going to give you, the land shall celebrate the Lord a Sabbath , a time of rest. Six years you are to sow your field and six years prune your vineyard and collect the fruits. But in the seventh year the land is to keep a solemn Sabbath to the Lord. You shouldn't sow your land or work your vineyard. "

- (Leviticus 25: 1-4)

In the Roman Catholic Church , sabbatical year refers to the years between two holy years .

See also

literature

  • Barbara Hess: Sabbaticals - time off from work . FAZ Institute Frankfurt / Main 2009.
  • Steffen Hillebrecht : Sabbaticals in personnel development . SpringerGabler, Wiesbaden 2018.
  • Christa Langheiter: Courage to take a break . Financial book MI, Munich 2011.
  • Anke Richter: Get off on time. The sabbatical manual . Paperback (157 p.), VGS, Cologne 2002.
  • Heike Reuther: Professional time-out - it's that easy to get out on time . Gräfe & Unzer, 2002, ISBN 978-3774236028 .
  • Joachim von Loeben: Sabbatical - in 30 minutes . Gabal, Offenbach 2016.
  • Mirko Werler: Sabbaticals. Legal framework for the implementation of longer periods of leave with working time accounts . Utz, 2013.
  • Jeannette Zeuner: Time out - Get out of the hamster wheel . Tredition, Hamburg 2014.

Web links

Wiktionary: Sabbatical  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ GEW: Synopsis on regulations for the sabbatical year in the individual federal states. 2014, accessed November 25, 2019 .
  2. ↑ [1]
  3. ↑ See Steffen Hillebrecht: Sabbaticals. SpringerGabler, Wiesbaden 2018, p. 12 ff.
  4. ^ Herbert Haag (ed.): Bible Lexicon. Benziger, Zurich 1968, 1982. ISBN 3-545-23040-6 .