Annual Leave system

[bydoss]

I noticed Finns get up to 30 days of annual leave, but since they tend to take vacation in weeks at a time (and Saturday is counted as workday), this equates to just 5 weeks of vacation.

As someone who enjoys taking 3 - 4 day vacations by taking off Fridays or Mondays, is it generally acceptable to take just 1 or 2 days off at a time rather than a full week? I would love to take just 3-days off to visit surrounding countries..

Also, it seems you are required to take 4 weeks off in the summer? If so, wouldn't that mean very little time-off left over for the rest of the year?

And do people usually take all their vacation or do they feel guilty about using it?

30 days off seems like a lot, but in practice it seems more like 25 days, and quite restrictive on how you can use it...

[betelgeuse]

As someone who enjoys taking 3 - 4 day vacations by taking off Fridays or Mondays, is it generally acceptable to take just 1 or 2 days off at a time rather than a full week? I would love to take just 3-days off to visit surrounding countries..

Legally speaking it's the employer that ultimately decides when and how you take your holidays within the legal limits. There must be at least two weeks of continuous holidays.

"The employer and the employee may agree that the employee will take the portion of the holiday that exceeds 12 weekdays in one or more periods."

https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokse ... 160182.pdf

Also, it seems you are required to take 4 weeks off in the summer? If so, wouldn't that mean very little time-off left over for the rest of the year?

You can agree otherwise with your employer.

"The employer and the employee may agree on setting the annual holiday in a period that starts at the beginning of the calendar year which includes the holiday season and ends the following year before the start of the holiday season. Furthermore, an agreement can also be made on the taking of the portion of the holiday exceeding 12 weekdays within one year of the end of the holiday season."

And do people usually take all their vacation or do they feel guilty about using it?

It's not allowed to skip the holidays.

[betelgeuse]

https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokse ... 160182.pdf

For a full picture of the rules that apply to you, you will also want to check the collective bargaining agreement if there is one.

[riku2]

this equates to just 5 weeks of vacation

I recommend a visit to the USA and offer your opinion that five weeks annual holiday is a bit low. most of them exist on two weeks a year (although they don't lose any public holidays should the day fall on a weekend).

The main rule that companies in Finland made me follow is minimum two weeks continuous holiday per year (which if you look at the rules can be taken anytime of year, not necessarily in the summer). They would always insist on deducting the saturdays as holidays - so no trying to game the system by taking only tue-thu as holidays.
The "four weeks in the summer" is just something that almost all finns do, not a rule, although if you work in a company where they are used to everyone doing that then they might find it a bit strange that you are on holiday in november or april - they might be more used to practically shutting down the company in july but otherwise having 100% of employees at work except for school holiday time (suggesting that the rest of the world doesn't shut down just because it's summer in finland doesn't really get you anywhere).

you are required to take 4 weeks off in the summer? If so, wouldn't that mean very little time-off left over for the rest of the year

yes, but finns are simple minded folk and there is no translation of the phrase "mini-break". They want to escape from their city flats into the countryside in july (don't ask them why they don't live in the countryside full time if they love the countryside so much) but otherwise are content to work non-stop from the middle of august until December. Almost all finns of working age have school age children (so it seems), so holidays have to be in sync with school holidays (and this explains why there is no need for the phrase "half term holidays" in finnish - "hiito loma" can serve as winter holiday and school half term - because everyone of working age has school age kids and will take that week as holiday so the two concepts are identical and only one phrase needed.