Tired of the endless work cycle and feeling burnt out? In that case, a so-called sabbatical could help you. This is a longer work break that typically lasts several months. During it, a person rests or just takes care of himself. It is important that he does not lose his entire income due to such a longer leave. The Confederation of Trade Unions (KOZ) is now proposing to introduce something similar, directly within the social insurance system.
Trade unionists want people at risk of burnout to be able to take a paid sabbatical under certain conditions. However, it would not be a classic additional holiday, but a new unemployment insurance benefit. The confederation argues in a document entitled Basic attitudes of the KOZ SR towards the social insurance system and its changes that the work environment is increasingly influenced by psychological and social pressures. These can lead to burnout syndrome – that is, when one feels tired, overloaded and without energy due to long-term work exhaustion.
The current legislative setting mostly only deals with situations where a person will lose his job. However, according to the trade unions, the state should also deal with employees who are at risk of a longer absence from work due to psychological stress. According to them, early leave could prevent more serious health problems and help a person to stay on the labor market.
KOZ proposes that a worker can only take a sabbatical after five years of continuous unemployment insurance. The benefit would be paid for a maximum of three months. It is important, in contrast to the situation when a person is registered at the labor office, that during this period he would not have to actively look for a new job or report to the office regularly.
At the same time, the benefit would not have to be as high as regular unemployment support. KOZ admits that the paid sabbatical could be paid in a lower amount. However, after it ends, a person could still receive the standard unemployment benefit for another three months. However, trade unionists do not talk about the specific amount such a person should receive.
What options do Slovaks have today?
The unions also connect the proposal to introduce a sabbatical with how money from unemployment insurance is used today. They claim that the funds selected for this purpose should mainly be used for unemployment benefits, unemployment prevention and the creation of reserves. At the same time, they point out that the unemployment insurance fund is highly surplus, but its surpluses are also used to finance other parts of social insurance.
Despite this, the law in the form proposed by KOZ does not yet exist in Slovakia. A person who feels exhausted or on the verge of burnout has only a few realistic alternatives in practice.
For example, he can use up his regular vacation all at once. The problem is that its use is determined by the company after discussion with the employee and must also take into account the needs of the operation. The Labor Code also allows leave from work at the employee’s request, with or without compensation. However, a person is not automatically entitled to such a thing, and similarly to a longer vacation, the worker must agree on it with the employer in advance.
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If mental or physical exhaustion turns into a health problem, the next way is to take a classic so-called péenka. However, this is not a preventive leave for rest, but a temporary incapacity for work, which must be confirmed by a doctor.
Today, even the unemployment benefit does not serve as a sabbatical during the duration of work. A person is entitled to it only when he is registered as a job seeker at the labor office and has been insured for unemployment for at least 730 days in the last four years. At the same time, he must actively cooperate with the labor office, otherwise he may be removed from the register and receive benefits.
In addition, the consolidation from the beginning of 2026 reduced the unemployment benefit. While previously it was paid in the amount of 50 percent of the daily assessment base during the entire six-month period, now it remains in this amount only for the first three months. In the fourth month, it drops to 40 percent, in the fifth to 30 percent, and in the sixth to only 20 percent.
What does a sabbatical abroad look like?
The closest example of what Slovak trade unionists are proposing can be found in Finland. In this Nordic country, a system of so-called “job alternation leave” (could be translated as alternating work leave) operated in the recent past. A person with a longer work history could take a break of several months after an agreement with the company, he received a special allowance and the employer had to hire an unemployed person in his place. However, Finland abolished this system from August 2024.
Belgium, for example, has a different model, where a system of career breaks and so-called “time credit” is used. Under certain conditions, the worker can temporarily interrupt his work or reduce his working hours. During the career break, the employee can receive a contribution from the local labor office, and his labor and social rights remain protected. But in recent years, Belgium has tightened the conditions and, from 2023, in some cases separated the right to time off from the right to a benefit.
French legislation also recognizes the sabbatical – but the state does not pay it. According to the French public portal Service-Public, an employee in the private sector can request a so-called “congé sabbatique” (sabbatical leave), which usually lasts six to eleven months. During this period, the employment contract is suspended and the person may return to the original or comparable position upon return. However, he does not have income during the sabbatical unless it is specifically guaranteed by a collective agreement or an agreement with the employer.
