Understanding French Calendar Days (Ouvrés & Ouvrables) in Leave Counters
French Calendar Days (Ouvrés & Ouvrables) are a specific type of leave counter designed to comply with French labor standards. Unlike other counter types, they work automatically and seamlessly with every planning tool in Factorial.
This makes them one of the most flexible counter types, especially for companies using multiple scheduling systems.
How French Calendar Days Work
French Calendar Days rely on a unified scheduling logic. Instead of having separate variants for each planning tool, they use a single mechanism that adapts automatically.
This is possible thanks to the same fallback engine used in the employee work schedule system.
Fallback Chain
When determining how many days or hours should be deducted, French Calendar Days follow this automatic fallback chain:
- Work Schedule (if the employee has assigned working hours for that day)
- Shift Management (if the day is covered by a shift)
- Contract (as the last fallback if no specific schedule or shift applies)
This ensures that the counter always has a valid reference for each day, regardless of which planning tool is active.
Key Insight
Because French Calendar Days use the fallback chain above, they are:
- Compatible with all planning tools
- Automatically aligned with each employee’s real schedule
- Maintenance-free (no need to create alternative versions or adapt the counter manually)
This means your leave calculations always match the actual planned working time for each employee — even if your company uses a mix of work schedules, shifts, and contractual hours.
French Calendar Rules:
- Ouvrables: Excludes Sundays and company holidays
- Ouvres: Excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and company holidays
Planning Tool Integration:
- Work Schedule: If active, uses work schedule hours and working day logic
- Shift Management: If active, uses shift management hours and rest day logic
- Contract: Fallback when no other planning tool is active
French Calendar Days vs Other Counters
| Aspect | French Calendar Days | Working Days | Calendar Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning Tool Support | ✅ All tools (automatic fallback) | ❌ Separate variants needed | ❌ Separate variants needed |
| Day Counting | ✅ French rules (excludes weekends/holidays) | ❌ Contract only | ✅ All days |
| Hours Calculation | ✅ Planning tool fallback | ✅ Planning tool fallback | ✅ Planning tool fallback |
| Weekends | ❌ Excluded (French rules) | ❌ Excluded (contract) | ✅ Included |
| Company Holidays | ❌ Excluded (unless workable) | ❌ Excluded (unless workable) | ✅ Included (unless workable) |
Example: If an employee has a work schedule on Monday, shift management on Tuesday, and contract on Wednesday:
- French Calendar Days: Automatically uses work schedule logic for Monday, shift management for Tuesday, contract for Wednesday
- Working Days: Would need separate "Working Days - Work Schedule", "Working Days - Shifts", "Working Days - Contract" variants
FAQ
How Many Days Are Deducted with French Calendar Days?
Days that will be deducted:
- Working days (Monday-Friday) → 1 full day deducted (unless excluded by French rules)
- Non-working days (contract rest days) → 1 full day deducted (unless excluded by French rules)
- Half day leaves → 0.5 days deducted (regardless of day type or French rules)
Non-working days that are not excluded by French rules are still counted as full days.
For example:
- Saturday in Ouvrables: 1 full day deducted (only Sundays are excluded)
- Contract rest day (Wednesday): 1 full day deducted (not excluded by French rules)
Important: JNT_DAY days have special deduction limitations for French market compliance:
- Maximum 5 JNT days per weekday (e.g., maximum 5 Saturdays)
-
Only applies to cycles starting from June 1, 2023 onwards
If an employee has 6 Saturday leaves, only the first 5 are deducted
French Calendar Exclusions:
- Ouvrables: Sundays and company holidays are NOT deducted
- Ouvres: Saturdays, Sundays, and company holidays are NOT deducted
Planning Tool Integration:
- Work Schedule days: 1 full day deducted (unless excluded by French rules)
-
Shift Management days: 1 full day deducted (unless excluded by French rules)
- Contract days: 1 full day deducted (unless excluded by French rules)
How many days will not be deducted? Which and why?
Days that will not be deducted:
- Sundays (both Ouvrables and Ouvres) → 0 days deducted
- Saturdays (Ouvres only) → 0 days deducted
- Company holidays (when configured as non-workable) → 0 days deducted
Why other days are deducted:
- Working days: Always counted unless excluded by French rules
- Non-working days: Always counted unless excluded by French rules
- Planning tool rest days: Always counted unless excluded by French rules
How many hours will be counted by day of absence?
Hours are calculated using the planning tool fallback chain, which considers:
- Work Schedule (if active) → Uses work schedule hours
- Shift Management (if active) → Uses shift management hours
- Contract (fallback) → Uses contract hours
Hours by day type:
- Full day leaves → Full hours from planning tool (e.g., 8 hours)
- Half day leaves → Half hours from planning tool (e.g., 4 hours)
- Day offs → 0 hours
Planning Tool Examples:
- Work Schedule day: Uses work schedule hours (e.g., 7.5 hours)
- Shift Management day: Uses shift management hours (e.g., 6 hours)
- Contract day: Uses contract hours (e.g., 8 hours)
How do French calendar days work with different planning tools?
Automatic Planning Tool Integration:
- No separate variants needed - French calendar days automatically work with all planning tools
- Fallback chain: Work Schedule → Shift Management → Contract
- Day-by-day adaptation: Each day uses whatever planning tool is active for that specific date
Comparison with Other Counters:
- Working Days: Requires separate variants (Contract, Work Schedule, Shifts)
- Calendar Days: Requires separate variants (Contract, Work Schedule)
- French Calendar Days: Single implementation works with all planning tools
Special Cases
Half Day Leaves (Both Types)
Half day leaves bypass French calendar rules and use natural days logic:
- All days count regardless of French exclusions
- 0.5 coefficient applied to each day
- Planning tool hours still used for hour calculations
Planning Tool Transitions
French calendar days handle planning tool transitions seamlessly:
- Work Schedule → Contract: Automatically switches on the transition date
- Shift Management → Work Schedule: Automatically switches on the transition date
- Mixed periods: Each day uses its active planning tool
Company Holiday Configuration
- Workable holidays: Count as full days (1.0) with planning tool hours
- Non-workable holidays: Count as day off (0.0) with 0 hours
- Half day leaves on workable holidays: Count as half days (0.5) with half planning tool hours