[Company] leave policy
Not legal advice. Minimum annual leave, sick pay, public holidays and what happens to unused leave are set by law in most countries and differ between them. Where the law gives someone more than this policy, the law applies. Check each number against the law where each person works. Replace everything in [brackets].
01Who this covers
Say who the policy is for, which year it counts in, and who keeps it up to date.
- Applies to: [All employees. Part-time employees receive leave pro rata to their hours. Contractors are not covered.]
- Leave year: [1 January to 31 December / another 12-month period]
- Effective from: [Date]
- Policy owner: [Name and role of the person who maintains it]
02Leave at a glance
The summary people will come back to. Every figure must meet the legal minimum where the person works.
Everyone covered by this policy is entitled to the leave below. Details for each type follow.
| Type | Allowance | Paid | Needs approval |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | [n] working days a year | Yes | Yes |
| Sick leave | [n days at full pay, then as the law requires] | Yes | No, tell your manager |
| Public holidays | [The holidays of the country you work in] | Yes | No |
| Parental leave | [As the law requires / your enhanced policy] | [Yes / Partly] | Yes |
| Unpaid leave | [By agreement] | No | Yes |
03Annual leave
The paid time off people plan around. Be exact about joiners, part-timers and half days.
- Allowance: [n] working days in each leave year, in addition to public holidays
- Joining or leaving part-way: Allowance is pro rata for the part of the year you are employed, rounded to the nearest half day
- Part-time: Allowance is pro rata to your contracted hours
- Half days: Leave can be taken in half days, mornings or afternoons
- Notice: Request leave at least [n] working days ahead for [n] days or fewer, and [n] weeks ahead for longer
- Busy periods: [Dates when leave is normally not approved, or delete this line]
04Sick leave
Make it easy to be sick without asking permission, and keep health details private.
- Tell us: Let your manager know before [time] on your first day off, or as soon as you reasonably can
- Pay: [n] working days a year at full pay, then [statutory sick pay / unpaid / as the law requires]
- Evidence: [A doctor's note after [n] consecutive days, where the law allows us to ask]
- Recording: Sick days can be recorded after the fact when you are back
- Privacy: The reason for sick leave is seen only by you and the people who approve your leave
05Public holidays
With a team in more than one country, say whose holidays apply.
- Which holidays: You get the public holidays of the country you work in. The list for each year is published by [date / the policy owner].
- Working on a holiday: [A day off in lieu taken within [n] weeks / extra pay / as the law requires]
- Holidays during leave: A public holiday that falls inside your annual leave is not counted against your allowance
06How to request leave
One place to ask, so nothing is agreed in a hallway and forgotten.
- Where: Request leave in [your HR tool / an email to your manager], not in chat
- What to include: The type of leave, the first and last day, and any half days
- Reason: Optional for annual leave. If you give one, only you and your approvers see it.
- Before you ask: Check the team calendar for colleagues already away on the same days
- Changing plans: You can withdraw a pending request at any time, and an approved one until it begins
07Approvals
Name who decides, how fast, and how clashes are settled. Founders need an approver too.
- Approver: Your manager. If they are away, [a founder / another named person].
- Founders and managers: [Who approves the leave of founders and managers]
- Response time: Requests are answered within [n] working days
- Clashes: No more than [n] people from [team] are off on the same day. Where requests clash, [the first request made / a rota for busy periods] decides.
- Cancelling approved leave: The company cancels approved leave only in exceptional circumstances, and [reimburses costs you cannot recover]
08Carry-over and unused leave
Decide this before the end of the first leave year. Many countries restrict carry-over and payment in lieu.
- Carry-over: Up to [n] unused days carry into the next leave year. Days carried over are not carried again.
- Use by: Carried-over days must be used by [date, or delete for no deadline]
- Payment instead of leave: [Unused leave is not paid out while you are employed, except where the law requires it]
- When you leave: Leave you have earned but not taken is [paid in your final pay / handled as the law requires]. Leave taken beyond what you earned may be [deducted from final pay where the law allows].
09Other leave
List only what you offer. Delete any line that does not apply, and check what the law requires.
- Parental leave: [As the law requires / your policy, with pay]
- Bereavement: [n] days paid for [close family, defined as …]
- Public duties: [Jury service and similar, as the law requires]
- Unpaid leave: By agreement with your manager, for up to [n] [days / weeks]
10Before you publish
Check each line, then share the policy with everyone it covers and keep a record that they have read it.
- Every allowance meets the legal minimum in each country where someone works
- Every person, founders included, has an approver
- The policy matches the leave stated in offer letters and contracts
- Carry-over and payment rules follow the law where each person works
- Everyone covered has received it and acknowledged it