Labor law essentials

Unfit to work

You must call in sick on the first day you are unfit to work by 10 am at the latest: Notify the supervisor, front office, or team assistant responsible for your professorship. Clarify with your supervisor at the start of your employment who to notify in case you are sick and how exactly to do so. 

Important: Ensure that you immediately notify the same person or office when you are fit for work again to avoid deductions from pay!

Find all details and forms related to sickness on Universität Hamburg’s Staff Service Portal under: Unfit to Work / Illness / Accident

Vacation

Send your formal vacation request to your supervisor and the front office and/or team assistant responsible. Forms can be downloaded from the University’s Staff Service Portal under Vacation Matters. Contact the HR staff responsible to find out how many vacation days you are entitled to take. Be aware that you must use up all remaining vacation days by 30 September of the following year. Pursuant to Section 6 subsection 3 of the collective wage agreement for the public sectors of the German states (Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst der Länder, TV-L), employees with TV-L-contracts do not have to apply for leave, vacation days, or compensatory time off for 24 and 30 December.

Tracking your working hours

All employees are obliged to properly track their working hours. You can document your hours with analogue time cards for the automatic stamp clocks located in the University buildings foyers or use the digital time card. The digital time card is particularly suitable when you also work remotely. Based on the familiar analogue time card system, it can also be used to document vacation days and compensatory time off. Instructions for tracking your working hours are available in the Excel tool. Agree with your supervisor which time-tracking option best fits your work situation. For more information and access to the Excel tool, see Working Time in the University’s Staff Service Portal.