With summer approaching, many employees begin the holiday planning phase. But how do you use holiday days correctly? What rights and obligations do employees have? In an interview with ÖGB labor law expert Michael Trinko, the essential questions surrounding the topic of vacation are examined. According to Austrian labor law, every employee is entitled to at least five weeks of paid vacation per working or calendar year. However, it is not possible to take vacation at your own discretion. Rather, an agreement between the employee and the employer is required, taking into account the operational requirements and the employee's need for relaxation. A common question concerns the vacation entitlement of employees with school-age children. In principle, there is no legal right to take vacation during school holidays. Nevertheless, the employer should take the employee's family situation into account and generally agree to the request for summer vacation due to school-age children, provided that operational concerns do not conflict with this. What happens if an employee falls ill during vacation? In this case, it is advisable to see a doctor and present a medical certificate to the employer in the event of incapacity to work. If you are sick for more than three days, you keep your vacation days. However, it is important to report the illness immediately and to present the sick leave certificate when you return to work. Despite illness, the vacation is not extended; the originally agreed end of the vacation remains. There is no option to convert vacation days into money. This would contradict the purpose of the rest. Vacation days can only be paid out when the employment relationship ends, provided there are still vacation days left. Another important piece of information