Compassionate Leave in UAE
In principle, you have to know that the UAE labor law does not have provisions for compassionate leave. However, it does establish that employees have the right to paid leave of at least 5 days for the death of a spouse. Additionally, in the case of the death of a child, father, brother, grandson, or grandfather, the leave is approximately 3 days. Which is subject to providing proof of death if the employer requests it.
In this article, we will provide you with information about compassionate leave in the United Arab Emirates. You will learn about the types of compassionate leave available to employees and the conditions to qualify for them. In addition, we will give you information about labor laws regarding compassionate leave in the UAE. We will also show you how this permission applies to employees. Read on to find out everything you need about compassionate leave in the UAE.
What is Compassionate Leave?
The compassionate leave UAE is very important and that is why you should know what is compassionate leave. This means time off from work, so the employee can deal with a family emergency. Generally, compassionate leave in UAE covers the following:
- Caring for a dependent who is sick. Among these, we find a parent, a spouse, or a child.
- Make all necessary arrangements for your dependent’s funeral.
It is up to each organization to determine what its compassionate leave policy will be. In this way, the essential components that must be present are the following:
- The duration of the license.
- The free time that will be paid or unpaid.
- Options to receive additional time off or simply take leave for a non-dependent family member.
- A classification of bereavement or humanitarian leave.
- When the emergency should be reported and to whom it should be reported.
- Managing the employee’s return to work.
Why is Compassionate Leave Such a Difficult Issue?
Denying employees, the time to deal with upsetting situations can be a bit cruel. However, the problem with these situations is that they cannot be anticipated. In this way, they can affect the employee at any time and even different employees at the same time.
For this reason, UAE Compassionate Leave appears at very short notice. In this way, your company will not have time to prepare for the employee’s absence. Generally, you will not be able to know when the employee will be able to return to his or her job and if he or she will be able to do so in the best conditions.
Additionally, other members may cover the work, but this can cause further stress. Even if the absence lasts a while it can generate a culture of latent resentment. However, this will not be because of the absent employee, but this situation arose not due to any lack of effort on your part, but rather because the company did not adequately plan for such emergencies.
For this reason, if you want to start a small business in the UAE you must understand how difficult compassionate leave is. However, if you maintain a good policy, minimize the potential for disruption, and manage to give your employees time to recover, this will not be a big problem.
What Does the UAE Law Say About Compassionate Leave?
The compassionate leave UAE labor law explains that employees have a 5-day paid bereavement leave in the event of the death of a spouse. On the other hand, in the case of the death of one of the children, parents, grandchildren, siblings, or grandparents, this will be 3 days.
However, this may change depending on what is established in the employee’s UAE employment contract. In this way, you must ensure that your employment contract establishes the aforementioned and that it has terms that extend this type of unexpected license.
What’s the difference between Compassionate Leave and Bereavement Leave?
Bereavement leave and compassionate leave are often interchangeable. Both are there to accommodate employees facing personal crises or emergencies. For instance, the illness or death of a family member or close friend. However, it must be clarified that compassionate leave and bereavement leave are two different things.
Bereavement leave is a leave allowance. Additionally, its use is specifically when an employee takes time off after the death of a loved one. On the other hand, compassionate leave is time off to deal with difficult or distressing situations. For instance, a loved one’s serious illness or injury or if there is a fire or flood in your home.
In UAE the law allows people to use bereavement leave. However, it does not state anything about compassionate leave. For these cases, they usually use emergency leave, although they are not the same.
Although companies are not legally required to give their employees compassionate leave, doing so can make a difference. Specifically, in two very important aspects, which are the productivity and long-term loyalty of its employees.
Offering this leave allowance is a distinctive way to show your employees that you value them. That is, he cares about your well-being. In addition, it shows that it wants to promote a better balance between employees’ personal life and work.
What is the Compassionate Leave Policy?
The vast majority of companies do not have compassionate leave policies. Generally, the reasons are varied. For instance, it can be due to carelessness or a conscious decision. However, this is a tool for disaster.
Even the most hard-working and loyal employee will not hesitate to leave the job in the event of a family emergency. It is no employee’s fault that you do not have contingency plans for an indefinite and unexpected absence. As far as they are concerned, any disruption or loss you suffer as a result of your emergency will be up to you.
Plus, if you treat your employees with contempt during this difficult time, you can rest assured that they will soon be looking for new companies. Surely the question is what a good policy for compassionate leave should look like. This will depend on the size of the company you have and the position of the employee who is requesting the permit.
For instance, Facebook offers an interesting compassionate permissions policy. Employees have 20 days of paid compassionate leave if an immediate family member dies. Additionally, they provide them with 10 additional days for an extended family member and up to six weeks of paid leave to care for sick family members.
In 2015, an operations director lost her husband. That is, he understands as well as anyone how necessary it is to take time off from work to deal with trauma. You have to know that all companies that support their employees do the right and smart thing. The idea is to help them fulfill their mission, improve their results, and increase the loyalty and performance of their workforce.
If you implement compassionate leave policies similar to the previous example, you can have positive results.
Is compassionate leave paid leave?
Actually, compassionate leave is not a permit that is a legal requirement, therefore, it is not paid leave. However, many employers choose to offer some paid time off to support their employees through difficult times. You may even be lucky enough to have your compassionate leave paid. But, this will depend on the company policies on this permission.
It is important to be clear about the company’s policies on payment during compassionate leave. It is best to make these clarifications in contracts or labor policies.
What is the duration of compassionate leave?
If companies establish compassionate leave policies, generally, they are granted for a short period. For instance, from 1 to a maximum of 3 days. However, they can be extended depending on personal circumstances. You need to make sure your compassionate leave policy is specific on the maximum duration allowed. Additionally, you have to specify whether it is extendable or not and for how long.
