On the day of the new school year, are we allowed to arrive a little later at work in order to accompany our children on this first day back to school? Answers.
There Back to School is an important moment for many parents. Seeing your child enter a new class, with a new grade level, often causes a lot of stress and excitement. And parents wouldn’t miss their children’s return to school for the world. Generally, most accompany their child to the school gate, but others even go so far as to spend some time in class with their little schoolboy to reassure him, especially if it is his first start of kindergarten or at CP. But as an employed parent, can you arrive late for work or take specific leave for the return of your children? Here is what the law says.
What does the Labor Code say about back to school?
In France, the Labor Code does not provide for any specific provision related to the delay or absence of employees on the day of the start of the school year. According to the website of Ministry of Labourcertain family events entitle you to leave days such as the birth of a child, a wedding, a PACS, the death of a loved one, but the start of the school year does not appear in the admissible reasons. A priori, therefore, you cannot arrive late or be absent for the start of the school year for your children.
What are the collective agreements that grant arrangements for the start of the school year?
On the other hand, it should be known that some companies make arrangements for the start of the school year in their collective agreements. This is particularly the case for:
- There collective agreement of insurance companies which authorizes the parent to be absent exceptionally “one day per year for the return to school of one or more children under 7 years old”states thesection 88 of this text.
- There national hairdressing collective agreement grants to women with school-going children aged 13 or under “a leave of absence of 3 hours, without reduction of remuneration, the day of the start of the school year”, indicates thesection 6.2.2.
- There pastry collective agreement entitles parents to a half-day absence for the start of the school year for their children. “When the couple works in the same pastry shop, this leave will be taken by one or the other”, specifies thesection 42 of the agreement.
- There collective agreement for executives, technicians and advertising employees grants a half-day of absence to employees for the return of their child.
- There collective agreement for distance selling companies grant flexible working hours, “so as to allow the mother or the father who wishes, to take their young children to school (including the first start of secondary school)”, quote thesection 25.
- There collective agreement for cleaning companies and associated services allocates “a day off which will be paid on the basis of the remuneration of the working day in question” to mothers and fathers for the first return to school for their child, specifies thesection 4.8.
Do not hesitate to inquire in advance with the HR department of your company. If nothing is planned by your company, you can always make arrangements with your employer and ask him for a schedule adjustment for that specific day. He can thus grant you, or not, to start later on the day your children return to school, or to make up for your missed work hours on another day. You also have the option of take half a day by taking a day of RTT or paid leavewith the agreement of your employer.