A system for donating days of leave to associations recognized as being in the public interest is now available for employees to use.
The scheme was introduced by the law of April 15, 2024 on volunteer involvement and associative life. It enables all employees to give up unused vacation or rest days, for the benefit of foundations or associations recognized as being in the public interest, university, partnership or corporate foundations, as well as works and organizations of general interest.
The days off given are then converted into monetary units, and the employer pays the corresponding amount to the beneficiary organization. The beneficiary must be chosen by mutual agreement between the employee and the employer.
The decree implementing this law, published in the Journal Officiel, allows the system to come into force from February 22, 2025.
The employee can only give paid vacation days for the fraction exceeding the 24 working days (4 weeks) of vacation. This means that the employee must retain at least 4 weeks of paid leave for personal use.
The total number of days off that an employee may give up may not exceed three working days per year. This limit applies to all donations made in any one year.
The donation must be made with the prior agreement of the employer. In addition, the gift must be made without consideration for the employee, which means that the employee cannot receive any compensation in exchange for the gift.
The monetary value of these days off is equal to the remuneration the employee would have received on the date the employer accepts his request to give them up. In other words, the day is valued at the amount the employee would have received had he or she taken the day off.