Period Equivalent to Time at Work
Period equivalent to time at work, as stated in section Period equivalent to time at work, as stated in section [Earning Annual Holiday], is considered first of all, a period of absence from work for which the employer is by law obliged to pay salary to the employee. Such a period can be e.g. annual holiday or period of notice, even if the employee does not have the obligation to work during the time.
In addition, the Annual Holidays Act includes a specific list of other days and hours equivalent to time at work. These are e.g., working days and working hours when the employee has been unable to work for the reasons set out below:
during special pregnancy leave, temporary child care leave, absence on compelling family grounds, absence for taking care of a family member or someone close to the employee, or during a single pregnancy or adoption, up to a total of 160 days of pregnancy and parental leave and respectively during the 160 days of parental leave of another employee entitled to parental leave
due to illness or accident (maximum 75 working days in one holiday credit year)
due to medical rehabilitation prescribed by a doctor for treating an occupational disease or an accident and aimed at restoring or preserving working capacity (maximum 75 working days during one holiday credit year)
due to order of a public authority to prevent the spread of disease
due to study leave (maximum 30 working days during one holiday credit year and only if the employee has returned to work immediately after the study leave)
for the purpose of attending training required for the job with the approval of the employer, provided that the employer and the employee may agree that only 30 working days at a time are counted as days corresponding to time at work)
due to lay-offs (maximum 30 working days at a time)
due to shortened working weeks equivalent to lay-offs or other comparable working hour arrangements (maximum six months at a time)
due to reserve training, supplementary service under the Civil Service Act, or additional service
for the performance of a public position of trust or hearing as a witness from which, under the law, there is no right to refuse or from which refusal would be permitted only on the basis of a specific reason specified in legislation.
The above list lists the accrual of periods equivalent to time at work covered by the so-called 14-day rule.
For employees covered by the so-called 35-hour rule, periods of special pregnancy leave, temporary child care leave, absence due to compelling family reasons, absence for taking care of a family member or someone close to the employee, pregnancy leave or parental leave shall be considered periods equivalent to time at work up to 182 calendar days.
In cases of illness and accident as well as medical rehabilitation the period equivalent to time at work is considered to be a maximum of 105 calendar days. The period equivalent to time at work is considered to be a maximum of 42 calendar days in cases of study leave and lay-offs. In Annual Holidays Act there are also other conditions and more specific provisions on time equivalent to time at work that should be noted.
In addition to the provisions of the law, some of the collective agreements have provisions that equate some short temporary absences to days and hours equivalent to time at work. It is recommendable to verify the matter from the applicable collective agreement.