Various types of leave entitlements are essential for employees. Not only is it unforgiving to expect employees to work right through the year with no rest, but it’s also against the law to deny employees essential time off.
Your leave entitlements should be clearly stated in your employment contract. With this, if you notice any of the following entitlements are missing from your agreement, it’s best to query this concern internally. Alternatively, you can consult a lawyer.
These leave entitlements are standard essentials for every permanent employment contract.
Family Medical Leave
The family medical leave act ensures employees are given time off of work when a loved one is seriously ill. This type of leave offers up to twelve weeks for eligible employees.
While you will receive leave, FMLA Kansas specifics insinuate that this leave is typically unpaid, although your job status is protected through this act.
Annual Leave
Annual leave is often less of a problem for most employers and employees. This type of leave is essential for employees to rest after working for the year. Even though most opt for annual leave at the end of the year, some employers allow annual leave to be used any time throughout the year.
In the past, employees could ‘cash-in’ their leave days and take home a larger salary for the period. However, this has fallen away as it does not benefit employees to ‘sell’ their leave time back to the company. Employees need to have a break. An annual vacation does wonders for health and wellbeing.
Sick Leave
Most employers provide about ten days of sick leave per year. These leave days may be used at any time, granted the employee provides substantial proof that they are ill; this can be in the form of a doctor’s note.
Sick leave is just as essential as any other type of leave, so be sure your employee contract clearly states your sick leave entitlements.
Maternity Leave
While maternity leave has been a standard for several years already, new workplace culture standards insist parental leave should apply to both parents. What’s more, the ongoing battle for paid parental leave insists that parents should both be entitled to at least six months.
However, the current standards can vary from three months to six months. It’s essential to query the specific details with your employer or human resources if your employment contract is unclear or you feel you need more time than the provided time.
Other leave entitlements include casual leave, privilege leave/earned leave, and bereavement leave. However, the leave entitlements listed above are the standard offerings that all employment contracts should include.
That said, when using your leave, it’s essential to ensure you have filed an internal request to go on leave. If your leave request is unfairly rejected, you can consult an attorney or attempt to dispute the issue internally before seeking legal counsel. That said, if you aren’t too sure what type of lawyer you need, it’s best to rely on employment attorneys as they are experts in this area of the law.
