According to UAE labor law, compassionate leave in UAE allowed for legal employees. However, employees have the right to avail paid compassionate leave in case of emergency or death in the family. In case of a spouse’s death, the employee can have five days paid leave and three days paid leave for the death of a father, mother, brother, grandfather, grandson, or child. The employee needs to provide the proof of death if the employer asks to do so.
We share relevant information regarding compassionate leaves in UAE according to labor law. You can access further relevant information compassionate leave and staffing solutions in Dubai by visiting the web portal and the UAE authority’s websites.
What is Compassionate Leave?
Any staff member experiences the emergency or death of a spouse, a child, a father, a mother, or siblings, they may need some rest to handle the deep sorrow and stress. They may stay home to release the tension, pain, and grief, and the employer must allow them to feel comfortable and spend time with family. During hard times and when they need emotional relief, employees can, according to UAE labor law, take compassionate leave and receive payment. In this blog, we share all the relevant information for bereavement leaves compared with sick leave in UAE, maternity leave in UAE, and Annual leave in UAE aligned with legitimate changes and framework. In this article, you will find the entire application procedure and duration for this process, conflicts management for leave, and how we can handle these issues legally.
Understanding Compassionate Leave UAE
An employee can take compassionate leave when dealing with an emergency or a tragic event, such as the death of a loved one. Compassionate leave allows employees to deal with the critical conditions: If you need to take care of a sick child, spouse, or any of your parents suffering from critical conditions at home and necessarily take leave from work.
If any of your family member died and you need to arrange the funeral.
Different organizations have different perspectives on compassionate leave legal policies. Usually, it depends on the license duration, paid or unpaid free time, and additional leaves for non-family members. It also depends on how they classify these leaves, like when these emergencies are reported to management and when they will go back to work.
Who Qualifies for Compassionate Leave in UAE?
The employees in UAE with legal work permits and visas are allowed to take paid compassionate leaves in case of emergency or death in the family. They must provide proof of medical emergency or death of a family member to the employer on request and follow the rules of the particular organization for the leave. However, the laws and regulations for compassionate leave depend on the organization’s criteria and perspective according to their business.
Leave Entitlements
The compassionate paid leave entitles for a specific period subject to the emergency or death of a dependent or a family member. The UAE labor law defines compassionate leave for legal employees for three to five days in case of emergency and death in the family or any of their dependents. These terms and conditions may differ according to the employee’s work permit, employment contract, and company policies. The employer is required to include these paid leaves in the work contract and establish a policy for compassionate leaves, which the employee must ensure is followed.
Duration of Compassionate Leave in UAE
Employees in the UAE are entitled to compassionate leave in a variety of situations. In case of death of spouse, they can take five-days paid leaves, and in case of child or parents, they can take three-days paid leaves.
Paid vs. Unpaid Leave
Compassionate leave is not legal paid leave for all businesses. Various employers offer paid compassionate leave for a certain period to their employees to keep calm and handle their personal affairs and family matters. However, it depends on the company policies how they concern these leaves for their work force according to their agenda. The employees must confirm the company policy for paid or unpaid leave and consider these clarifications in their work contracts according to the labor policies in the UAE.
Taking Compassionate Leave in UAE
It’s an easy process to take compassionate paid leave. You need to inform the employer, get approval, and provide witnesses later according to their terms and conditions. These are few points employee can follow to take compassionate paid leave in UAE;
- Apply for the leave with compassionate paid leave entitlement.
- Return to work after the approved period for leave.
- Submit the documents required for the proof of emergency or death to authorities.
Notification Procedures
The notification procedure or application process is simple: inform your employer about the emergency compassionate leave. The relevant authority must receive the application with the date of leave commencement and the required leave duration.
Returning to Work
If the employer asks for proof of death or an emergency, you will need to provide them with the death certificate or emergency invoices. The requirements from your employer may be different from the local law according to the company policies.
Conflicts for Compassionate Leave in UAE
The rules for paid compassionate leave in UAE differ from the company’s vision and policies. It depends on the conditions and the licenses the employer holds for the labor law.
Some common conflicts are unpaid leave or more or less time for the leave approval. The employee should navigate with confidence for compassionate leave and go through the proper process with evidence. In the event of a conflict, the employee can use the Labor Law ministry’s online platform for complaints and justice.
Compassionate Leave or Bereavement Leave
Both bereavement leave and compassionate leave UAE involve taking time off work for personal reasons, but the former is for grieving a loved one’s death while the latter is for caring for a close person
Conclusion
The leading businesses and organizations follow the legal compliance and corporate laws in the UAE. However, for a positive approach, they must ensure that policies comply with the labor and employment laws in UAE.
You can contact us for support and information regarding compassionate paid leaves, recruitment consultant Dubai, and Emiratisation in Dubai. we have the team of expert professionals to provide reliable solutions for all these matters in the UAE.
