Why your family responsibility leave might be declined
Know your rights when it comes to family responsibility leave and what can cause your employer to decline your leave application.
Family responsibility leave refers to leave days that employees can take to attend to pressing family issues.
Although it is within your rights as an employee to take leave, there can be circumstances that can prevent your leave from being approved.
According to the Labour Law, not all employees qualify for family responsibility leave. The government website states that “only an employee who has worked for longer than four months with the same employer, and who is employed on more than four days per week with the same employer, qualifies for family responsibility leave.”
This means that if you are new at a job, or you don't work the required hours and days, your employer is within their rights to refuse you to take the family responsibility leave.
How many days is family responsibility leave?
According to the Labour Law, employees are entitled to three days of paid family responsibility leave during each annual leave circle.
Which family matters are not covered in the family responsibility leave?
Not every family matter compels your employer to grant you family responsibility leave.
Only the following family matters fall within family responsibility leave:
• the employee's child is born.
• the employee's child or adopted child is sick.
• the death of the employee’s spouse or life partner; the death of the employee's parent, adopted parent, grandchild, grandparent, or brother or sister.
Any other matter that doesn't fall under the above mentioned doesn't constitute for family responsibility leave.
The Labour Law site states: "The illness of the employee's spouse or life partner, the illness of his/her parent, grandparent, brother or sister, cousin, brother-in-law, mother in law, or anybody else is not covered under family responsibility leave."
Which documents can be required as proof?
Your employer is within his/her right to ask for proof. This can include the birth certificate of the child or the death certificate of the deceased.
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