Other Absences Policy

Table of contents

Read alongside

Grievance Policy & Procedure

1.0 Introduction

1.1 You’ll find everything related to time off from work for absences other than holidays and sickness in this policy.  This policy covers compassionate/bereavement leave, time off for dependents, and other forms of unpaid leave including how to request these different types of time off.

2.0 Scope of policy

2.1 This policy applies to all employees regardless of length of service unless specified in the specific policy section. It does not apply to agency workers or self-employed contractors.

2.2 This policy does not form part of any employee's contract of employment, and it may be amended at any time.

3.0 Compassionate & bereavement leave

3.1 About compassionate leave

Bereavement leave is designed to support you through the death of a close relative, deal with necessary arrangements and attend their funeral. Compassionate leave may also be granted where a close relative is seriously or critically ill.

3.2 Entitlement

You are entitled to take paid compassionate leave of up to 5 days in any 12-month period in respect of a spouse or partner, child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, parent-in-law, grandparent, brother or sister, stepbrother or stepsister, or brother or sister-in-law.

We may exercise our discretion to grant a period of paid compassionate leave in respect of any other relative or close friend, depending on the circumstances of each case.

If you are still unable to return to work following an authorised period of compassionate leave you should contact your line manager. It may be appropriate to take a period of annual leave, subject to your manager's approval, or we may at our discretion grant you further unpaid leave in those circumstances.

3.3 Requesting compassionate leave.

We recognise that it may not always be possible to request compassionate leave in advance. However, where it is possible, you should make a request to your line manager. You should tell them about the reasons for your request and the number of days leave you would like to take.

Where it is not possible to request leave in advance you should contact your line manager as soon as possible to tell them the reason for your absence and the number of days you expect to be absent. Someone can do this on your behalf if necessary.

In exceptional circumstances we may have to refuse a request for compassionate leave and will give you a written explanation of the reasons. If you are dissatisfied with this decision you may appeal to your Head of Department or the HR Team in writing within 5 days of receiving our written reasons OR make a complaint under our Grievance Policy & Procedure.

4.0 Time off for dependants 

4.1 About time off for dependants

The law recognises and we respect that there may be occasions when you will need to take time off work to deal with unexpected events involving one of your dependants OR someone close to you.

This time off for dependants policy gives all employees the right to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off work to deal with certain situations affecting their dependants.

No-one who takes time off in accordance with this policy will be subjected to any detriment. 

4.2 Reasonable unpaid time off

You have a right to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off work when it is necessary to:

a)    Provide assistance when a dependant falls ill, gives birth, is injured or assaulted

b)    Make longer-term care arrangements for a dependant who is ill or injured

c)    Take action required in consequence of the death of a dependant

d)    Deal with the unexpected disruption, termination or breakdown of arrangements for the care of a dependant (such as a child-minder falling ill)

e)    Deal with an unexpected incident involving your child while a school or another educational establishment is responsible for them.

A dependant for the purposes of this policy is:

a)    Your spouse, civil partner, parent or child

b)    A person who lives in the same household as you, but who is not your tenant, lodger, boarder or employee

c)    Anyone else who reasonably relies on you to provide assistance, make arrangements or take action of the kind referred to section 4.2 above.

This policy applies to time off to take action which is necessary because of an immediate or unexpected crisis. This policy does not apply where you need to take planned time off or provide longer-term care for a dependant. If this is the case, you should take advice from your line manager and the HR Team.

Whether action is considered necessary will depend on the circumstances, including nature of the problem, the closeness of the relationship between you and the dependant, and whether anyone else is available to assist. Action is unlikely to be considered necessary if you knew of a problem in advance but did not try to make alternative care arrangements.

Reasonable time off in relation to a particular problem will not normally be more than one or two days. However, we will always consider each set of circumstances on their facts.

4.3 Exercising the right to time off.

You will only be entitled to time off under this policy if, as soon as is reasonably practicable, you tell your line manager:

a)    The reason for your absence

b)    How long you expect to be away from work

If you fail to notify us as set out above, you may be subject to disciplinary proceedings under our Disciplinary Procedure for taking unauthorised time off.

We may in some cases ask you to provide evidence for your reasons for taking the time off, either in advance or on your return to work. Suspected abuse of this policy will be dealt with as a disciplinary issue under our Disciplinary Procedure.

5.0 Other forms of absence and leave  

5.1 Unpaid leave

Requests for short periods of unpaid leave will be considered on their merits.  The request should be discussed with the employee’s manager and approved by the Head of Department and the HR Team. All requests need to be made in writing.

Other than emergency time off to care for a dependant, time off for public duties, or in situations such as bad weather or transport strikes which disrupt normal travel arrangements, unpaid leave will only be granted in exceptional circumstances and normally only when the annual leave entitlement has been exhausted.  Entitlement to unpaid leave is at the discretion of each employee’s Head of Department and HR Team. We reserve the right to refuse a request for unpaid leave and will give reasons for doing so.

The maximum period of unpaid leave that will be authorised is four weeks in total in any rolling 3-year period, unless your contract of employment gives the right to unpaid leave with arrangements that differ from this policy.

5.2 Religious observance

Time off for attendance at religious festivals or for the observance of the employee’s faith may only be taken by agreement with the employee’s manager, who will make every effort to grant a reasonable request.

Time off may be requested from annual holiday entitlement.

5.3 Time off for sporting events.

We recognise that employees may wish to take time off at, or around, the time of major sporting events such as the Olympics, World Cup, and Wimbledon etc.

Employees who wish to take time off on such occasions are asked to follow the procedure below:

• Time off to watch sporting events should be booked as annual leave in the normal way.

• We will not reasonably refuse such requests but, as we must maintain minimum staffing levels, employees should be aware that requests for annual leave may sometimes be refused.

• Employees who call in absent (including sickness absence) on the day of a major sporting event may be required to either provide medical evidence or a sound explanation for their absence. Failure to do so will result in further investigation and may lead to disciplinary action.

• Employees who are absent without authorisation will not be paid in respect of any days not worked.

5.4 Attendance in court

Employees who are called to appear as a witness in court for a case that is not connected to their employment, will have their absence classed as authorised unpaid. You will be advised at court of the expenses and loss of earnings allowance that you may be able to claim.

The court will issue a ‘loss of earnings form’ which employees should complete and pass on to their manager for signature to enable them to claim this allowance. Employees should log their hours and after they have attended court they will know how many hours/how much loss of earnings they may claim from the court and what they have lost by not being able to work.

Such employees are however required to return to work at such times when they are not needed by the court.

We will decide whether employees who are a defendant should receive paid time off by reference to all the circumstances and notify the employee accordingly. We reserve the right to make deductions from pay as appropriate.

Paid time off work will not normally be authorised for time off to answer civil or criminal charges made against the employee, but all instances will be considered on a case by case basis.  All days required to attend court and/or meet solicitors etc must be taken as annual leave, or alternatively the time made up by agreement with their Line Manager or be taken as unpaid absence.

5.5 Jury service

Employees who are required to attend Court as a juror should inform HR and their line manager of the dates concerned as soon as possible. We may wish to seek a postponement on the employee’s behalf if his/her absence will seriously affect our business. 

We are not required by law to pay you while you are absent on jury service. You will be advised at court of the expenses and loss of earnings that you can claim. However, we will pay basic salary to employees on jury service less any amounts you can claim from the court for lost earnings for up to 10 working days. Time off beyond 10 working days may be paid at the company’s discretion. Jurors may also claim certain expenses from the Court, which they may keep.

If, during the period of jury service, the employee is released early and it is feasible to return to work, we would expect them to do so. We would also expect the employee to attend work on any days/half days on which they are not actually required to serve.

5.6 Time off for public duties.

Employees who undertake certain public duties (for example, as a Justice of the Peace, Member of a Local Authority (Councillor), Member of a Statutory Tribunal etc) are entitled to reasonable unpaid time off to carry out their duties.

If you are unsure whether a public service that you perform is covered by this policy you should speak to the HR Team. 

As soon as you are aware that you will require time off for performance of a public service you should notify your line manager and the HR Team in writing, providing full details of the time off that is being requested and the reasons for your request. In order that arrangements can be made to cover your duties in your absence you should make your request a month in advance of the leave date.

Each request for time off will be considered on its merits taking account of all the circumstances, including how much time is reasonably required for the activity, how much time you have already taken, and how your absence will affect the business.

Any employee considering becoming a member of any public body should discuss the application with their manager prior to making an application. We reserve the right to refuse the time off if we think it is unreasonable.

5.7 Volunteer Reserves

We recognise and support the important role certain voluntary service organisations play, such as the Army Reserve, Red Cross etc.

We are under no obligation to offer leave (either paid or unpaid) for reservists to undertake training and you should use existing holiday entitlement to meet training commitments. To minimise the disruption to the business, this time off should be arranged in advance. A certificate of attendance must be provided by the employee’s Commanding Officer if unpaid leave is authorised and taken.

In the event of call-up, their employment will be protected, but such employees will be paid for this period by the MOD. They are entitled to remain a member of our occupational pension scheme, and provided that they agree to continue to pay their own contributions, the MOD will pay the employer contributions that we would have made. If they have a company vehicle, they will be asked to return this during the period of call-up.

If we receive notice that you have been called-up for active service, we may apply to an adjudication officer for the notice to be deferred or revoked if your absence would cause serious harm to our business (which could not be prevented by the grant of financial assistance).

Once your military service has ended you may submit a written application for reinstatement to your employment. This should be made by the third Monday following the end of your military service and you should notify us of the date on which you will be available to restart work.

If it is not reasonable and practicable to reinstate you into your former employment, we will offer you the most favourable alternative on the most favourable terms and conditions which are reasonable and practicable.

When calculating the length of your continuous employment with us, the period of absence on military service will not be counted. The period of employment before your mobilisation and the period after your reinstatement will be treated as continuous.

6.0 Review of policy 

6.1 This Policy will be reviewed as required.