Chapter 5: Leave and holidays

As outlined in your Employment Agreement, you are entitled to 4 weeks of annual leave.

Our office will have a shutdown period of two weeks over Christmas and New Year’s. If you have accrued any annual leave atthis time, you will be required totake this at that time. If you do not have any annual leave, this will be taken as leavein advance.

Other holidays should be taken at a time mutually convenient to you and the firm.

You should take your annual leave in the year in which it accrues; however, if this is not possible, you must obtain approval to carry over leave into the following year.

You can request that up to 1 week of annual holidays be cashed up. As your employer, we can accept or decline such requests.

Public holidays

You are entitled to the 12 public holidays as provided in the Holidays Act 2003.

Unpaid leave

Applications for leave without pay will be assessed on an individual basis. Discuss any requirement you have with your manager.

Study Leave

Where you are engaged in a course of study that has been approved by the firm, paid leave shall be allowed as follows:

To prepare for examinations, up to 8 hours per examination; and
To attend final examinations, the day of the examinations; and
You may take up to 3 examinations in every 12 months period.

You must inform the Company of the date of any examination as soon as practicable

Sickness/absence

Under the Holidays Act, after 6 months of employment, you are entitled to 10 days’ sick leave each year, when you are sick or a dependant is sick.

You may be required to produce a medical certificate for illness of 3 or more consecutive days.

Domestic Violence Leave

After 6 months of current continuous employment, you shall be entitled to a maximum of 10 days paid leave if you is affected by domestic violence. You must notify the firm of your intention to take domestic violenceleave as early as possible before you are due to start work on the day that is intended to be taken as domestic violence leave, or if that is not practicable, as earlyas possible after that time. The firm may require proof that you are affected by domestic violence. If this is not produced without reasonable excuse, the firm is not required to pay you for any domestic violence leave. Unused domestic violence leave will not be paid out when employment end.

Bereavement leave

After 6 months’ employment by the firm, you may take paid bereavement leave,as provided in the Holidays Act 2003. The death of your spouse, parent, children,grandchildren, brother or sister, or your spouse’s parents entitles you to up to threedays bereavement leave for each bereavement. The death of other persons causing your bereavement may also entitle you to one day of bereavement leave for eachbereavement if the firm agrees

'Immediate family members' include spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild or spouse's parent. If there are multiple bereavements, the entitlement is 3 days' bereavement leave in respect of each death.

Prev: Chapter 4: Remuneration and time keeping

Next: Chapter 6: Email and internet use