Introduction
An employee may be entitled to certain kinds of leave, depending on the circumstances and the reasons for requesting time off. The following tables give an overview of the different kinds of leave that may be available. Requests for unpaid leave not fitting the circumstances below may not be automatically granted but should be considered.
Statutory Paid Leave
| Type of Leave | Who is eligible? | Comments |
| Holiday | All employees | Must follow holiday booking procedure Paid at usual rate |
| Sickness absence | All employees | Only applies if employee is sick (not anyone else in the family, for example) – statutory rates apply |
| Maternity and adoption leave | All employees who have or adopt a child | Entitlement to leave is automatic Minimum length of service required to qualify for paid leave (statutory rates apply) Up to 52 weeks may be taken |
| Paternity leave | All employees whose partner has a baby | Minimum length of service required One or two weeks may be taken Statutory rates apply |
| Shared parental leave (ShPL) | All employees who are having a baby | Specific arrangements which can allow parents to share leave when a child is born Statutory rates apply |
| Parental Bereavement Leave | All employees who lose a child under 18 | Statutory rates apply |
Unpaid leave
| Type of Leave | Who is eligible? | Comments |
| Compassionate leave | All employees | Applies when a close family member dies or has a serious issue and urgently needs the employee’s help (may be paid but only at Company’s discretion) |
| Dependants’ leave | All employees who have people who depend on them for care | For emergencies only One or two days taken at a time |
| Parental leave | All employees with children up to 18 | Only for planned leave Must be requested in advance For 1 or 2 week blocks (not odd days) Max 4 weeks in a year Up to 18 weeks for each child Business may postpone parental leave if necessary |
