Annual leave: Everything employees and employers need to know

A comprehensive article on rights and obligations regarding annual leave in Israel, in collaboration with attorney Moshe Bushi. The article details the legal basis, how days are accrued, differences between full-time and part-time employees, seniority calculation, negative balance, redemption of days upon termination, and the most common violations by employers.

A comprehensive article in collaboration with zap legal, featuring an interview with attorney Moshe Bushi, an expert in labor law, on rights and obligations related to annual leave in Israel. The article reviews the legal basis – the Annual Leave Law and sectoral extension orders – and explains that the purpose of the legislation is to allow the employee to refresh and regain strength. Attorney Bushi details common mistakes: under-accrual due to calculation based on percentage of position instead of days worked per week, lack of awareness that accrual is annual (even if there was a month without pay), and incorrect calculation of seniority including partial years. Issues such as taking leave exceeding the accrued balance (negative balance) requiring the employee's written consent, redemption of days upon termination (including the clarification that pension contributions are not deducted from redemption pay), and offsetting a negative balance from salary with written consent are also discussed. The most prominent violations, according to him, are under-accrual and incorrect seniority calculation. The article concludes with a clarification that the information is general and does not substitute for legal advice.