Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want a couple of extra paid weeks off work from their job? Being able to relax at home and take care of more important things such as our children or any illnesses we have is far more enticing than running off to work and worrying about a hundred other things. Luckily, there are many ways we can get extra time off work for emergencies and other kinds of sudden incidents. However, you’ll need to speak to your employer about most of these, but it’s a good idea to understand what kind of rights you have when it comes to taking time off work.
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Different Types of Leave
In addition to maternity leave for when you have a child, you can also get time off for adoption leave if you have been matched with a child. Employees can take 52 weeks (yes, a whole year) of adoption leave. Not everyone will be eligible and it heavily depends on your circumstances, but most people will be able to get a considerable amount of time off. However, you must notify your employer within seven days of being matched with a child, which means that if you have adopted a child over a week ago, you’re out of luck. You will also need to tell your employer why you intend to leave, be it to take care of the child or to bond with them, there has to be a proper reason for doing so. You must also acquire proof of the adoption.
Sickness leave is also another way to get time off of work, however you will need a doctor’s note to be able to take sick leave without suffering too many consequences. Depending on your current situation, you may be entitled to work reduced hours due to an injury, but in many cases, your illness might deem you not fit for work and as such, you will be taken off your job for a while. In most cases, you won’t get paid for being on sick leave, but you can request to have your holiday pay transfer over to your sick dates.
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Vacation Policy
Depending on what type of company you are with, your vacation policy may be in your favour. Many organisations have very tight employee teams, meaning that if even one person takes time off work it can slow things down for the organisation. Every worker matters and they are all required to make the office run efficiently. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get some time off work. The average is to be given two to four weeks of paid vacation. You might also be entitled to unlimited unpaid vacation, however, this might come with adverse effects such as losing your position at work or being reassigned, which will usually be the case for a company that doesn’t have a strict regime.
If you’re unsure how the vacation policy works at your workplace, then speak to a senior member of staff or your employer themselves and ask them to give you a copy of the relevant documents. Alternatively, take a look at your employment contract that you signed when you joined the company.
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