Special / Compassionate Leave
Employees may apply for paid or unpaid special leave if they need to be absent from work in circumstances not covered for provision by sick leave, annual leave or maternity leave.
Guidelines for line managers
Employees may apply for special or compassionate leave if they need to be absent from work in circumstances not covered by provision for sick leave, study leave/sabbaticals, annual leave or maternity leave, (or any of the statutory leave provisions applying from 15 December 1999 under the Parental Leave Directive, and the Employment Relations Act 1999). Usually, this will be in the case of bereavement or to deal with serious family illness.
The allocation of and agreement to special/compassionate leave is not an automatic entitlement, but is at the discretion of management. Each individual case will be examined, within the context of Equal Opportunities in the University, and the need for sensitivity and flexibility in individual circumstances borne in mind.
How to Apply:
Employees should apply as soon as possible to their Head of Department who may wish to consult with HR where the circumstances do not fall clearly within the guidelines below. (In the absence of the Head of Department, the employee may apply to the relevant Senior Management Team member who holds responsibility for their department within their directorate.)
The Head of Department will write to HR to confirm the decision made, and whether the leave is to be paid or unpaid.
HR will advise payroll where appropriate, and keep a record of all special/compassionate leave granted on both an individual and a global basis.
Guidelines:
Paid leave, usually within a maximum of 5 days, may be granted for the death or serious illness of close family relatives, for example:
- Spouse/Partner;
- Mother/Father and Mother-in-Law/Father-in-Law;
- Brother/Sister and Brother-in-Law/Sister-in-Law;
- Children;
- Grandparents or Grandchildren.
Additional Leave:
If the period of special/compassionate leave has expired, and the employee still needs to be absent, the individual should consult HR through their Head of Department. Under the circumstances, further leave may be granted by extension of special/compassionate leave, leave in lieu of annual leave, or as unpaid leave. Should the employee at any stage be signed off sick through self certification or by their Doctor, this will be treated as sickness absence, and not as part of special/compassionate leave.
August 2008
