Understanding the Difference between Calendar, business, Non-working and Working Days
In the administrative field, when requesting holidays or carrying out procedures, it is common to come across terms such as calendar days, working days, non-working days or working days, sometimes generating confusion in their interpretation.
In the calendar, there are different types of days that have different meanings and can cause confusion. It is important to understand the difference between them in order to be able to plan our activities properly.
Calendar Days: What are they and how are they counted?
This is every day of the year, including weekends and public holidays. In a standard year, there are 365 days, while in leap years an additional day is added, totalling 366 calendar days.
To count calendar days, all consecutive days are simply added together, regardless of whether they fall on a working day or not. For example, if a deadline starts on Monday and has a duration of 5 calendar days, all days from Monday to Friday will be counted.
Calculating deadlines in calendar days is especially useful in legal or administrative situations where clear and precise deadlines need to be established. By using this measure, confusion or misinterpretation about the exact duration of a deadline is avoided.
Business days: When is considered a businnes day?
Business days are those days considered suitable for carrying out administrative acts or for calculating deadlines. In Spain, business days are Monday to Friday. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are considered non-working days. It is worth mentioning that there are national and regional holidays, which vary according to each Autonomous Community.
When a deadline ends on a non-working day (Saturday, Sunday or public holiday), it is moved to the next working day. For example, if the last day of a deadline falls on a Saturday, it is extended to the next working day (Monday, unless it is also a public holiday).
It is important to be clear about what is considered a working day to avoid confusion when planning meetings, carrying out administrative procedures or calculating deadlines. In addition, it is necessary to take into account non-business days such as national holidays or local public holidays that may affect the availability and normal functioning of the institutions.
Non-working days: Why are some days not considered working days?
In the labour and administrative sphere, there are days that are considered non-working days, i.e. days on which no work activities or official procedures are carried out. These non-working days can be holidays or public holidays, and their designation as such responds to various reasons.
One of the main reasons for a day to be considered a non-working day is the celebration of religious or civic holidays. These days are usually declared as national holidays or local festivities, in order to allow people to enjoy these special dates and to participate in commemorative events.
Another reason for the declaration of a non-working day may be the need to carry out maintenance or cleaning work on public or private facilities. In these cases, the aim is to avoid interruptions to normal activities and to ensure the safety and proper functioning of the spaces.
Likewise, some non-working days may be related to exceptional situations, such as natural disasters, health emergencies or other unforeseen events that require the temporary suspension of work activities and administrative procedures.
Non-working days are:
- At the national level: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays that cannot be replaced or are not agreed upon by all the Autonomous Communities.
- At regional level: specific public holidays designated by each Autonomous Community.
- At local level: non-working days defined by the Autonomous Communities in the corresponding calendars.
Working days: How do they differ from other types of days?
In the context of work, it is common to hear the terms “working day” and “working day”, but do you really know the difference between them?
Working days are the days on which you work, and their consideration may vary according to the policies of each company. Generally, they include Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and, in some companies, also Saturday.
A working day refers to any day of the week on which people work, whether it is Monday to Friday or even Saturday in some cases. On the other hand, a working day refers specifically to those days when public and private institutions are open and functioning normally.
These concepts, although similar, have different implications, especially in the area of legal deadlines and administrative procedures. It is crucial to understand these differences in order to avoid confusion when carrying out formalities or calculating deadlines.
