You can use Timebutler to manage absences and vacation for employees who work part time. Please note the following information:
Many companies convert vacation entitlement based on working hours and grant proportionally fewer vacation days. For example, if a full-time employee is entitled to 30 days of vacation per year, many companies grant their part-time employees who work 50% only 50% of the vacation entitlement, i.e., 15 days. However, this conversion is not necessary and, under the German Federal Vacation Act, it is also incorrect.
Instead, the following principle applies:
A part-time employee generally has the same vacation entitlement as a full-time employee, and only the number of weekly working days is relevant to calculate a pro-rated entitlement. Do not consider the daily working hours per weekday, even if they are irregular.
Here are some examples (assumption: a full-time employee is entitled to 30 vacation days per year with a 5-day week of 8 hours each from Monday to Friday):
Case 1) Part-time employee with a 5-day week and regular working hours
This part-time employee also receives 30 vacation days per year, just like the full-time employee. Although they work only 50% of the time of a full-time employee, one vacation day also gives the part-time employee only half as much time off, so with the same number of vacation days the part-time employee has no advantage over the full-time employee.
Case 2) Part-time employee with a 3-day week and regular working hours
This part-time employee receives 3/5 of the full-time entitlement because they work on 3 out of 5 working days in the week. They therefore receive 3 / 5 x 30 = 18 vacation days. Again, it is not relevant whether they work 4 hours on each of the three days, or 6 hours, or any other number of hours. In any case, they receive 18 vacation days.
Case 3) Part-time employee with an irregular number of hours on different weekdays
If a part-time employee works a different number of hours on different weekdays (for example, Mondays 8 h, Tuesdays 4 h, and Fridays 6 h), this does not affect the calculation of the vacation entitlement. The same as in case 2 applies: the number of weekdays on which the employee works is the basis for the vacation entitlement, regardless of the number of hours per weekday.
If the part-time employee, for example, works 8 h on Mondays, 4 h on Tuesdays, and 6 h on Fridays, they still receive 3 / 5 x 30 = 18 vacation days, which they can request and take at their discretion and in coordination with the employer. For the calculation, only the fact that they work on 3 of the 5 weekly working days matters—regardless of how many hours they work on each day.
Calculate vacation entitlement for part-time employees
Note:
The calculation follows the German Federal Vacation Act, without guarantee. Collective agreements, provisions in the employment contract, and other rules may set different requirements.