Compassionate leave entitlement

[Jer_1974]

Hi

Just had a text from one of the girls who works for me asking for leave as her Granddad has just died. It's been expected for the last week or so and on Friday she got the call asking her to go to the hospital. I don't want to seem tight but he must have died Friday night or Saturday morning so she's had some time to get over it. She left at 10:30 Friday morning, I don't have a problem with her taking time off but what should I pay her for. Is two days paid then more unpaid if she needs it acceptable.

[Exigeowner]

Right or wrong for me it would depend on the size of the company and how many staff are there, I have a small office and know my staff well and would accept at face value if somebody was very upset, Honestly if it happened on Friday I wouldnt mind if I didnt see them until a week Monday but like wise in my mind I would hope the goodwill was paid back in their loyalty, Im sure if I had a larger business of 20 + people I would be less likely to accept the same, kinda the saying do it for one and do it for all and before you know it somebody is always off.

Edited by Exigeowner on Saturday 5th December 18:37

[JustinP1]

Are you assuming that in her request for leave she wants her leave to be paid?

Perhaps she is not assuming that.

In either case unless you have specifically told her that it would be paid, then you don't need to pay her.


You need to be careful not to set a precedent. For example, should you grant her X days paid, and a year later a different employee brings a similar issue to you and you don't offer exactly the same then this is exactly the type of thing which could be brought up as unfair/discriminatory treatment.

[Jer_1974]

JustinP1 said:

Are you assuming that in her request for leave she wants her leave to be paid?

I don't know, her text just said how much compassionate leave am I allowed. I was thinking about giving her two days paid which would cover the day shes had off and a day for the funeral. I don't mind her taking more time off unpaid. Does this sound fair?
The last time someone took time off like this I gave them a week but it was for her mother in law who was quite young and had cancer. Is it fair taking it on a case by case bases? I have 15 members of staff.

[spikeyhead]

Jer_1974 said:

JustinP1 said:

Are you assuming that in her request for leave she wants her leave to be paid?

I don't know, her text just said how much compassionate leave am I allowed. I was thinking about giving her two days paid which would cover the day shes had off and a day for the funeral. I don't mind her taking more time off unpaid. Does this sound fair?
The last time someone took time off like this I gave them a week but it was for her mother in law who was quite young and had cancer. Is it fair taking it on a case by case bases? I have 15 members of staff.

You need to set things out in an ammendment to your company handbook.

On the death of a child, step-child, sibling, parent or parent-in-law, five days

For grandparents, uncles, aunts, two days.

Or anything similar that you feel appropriate.

[Engineer1]

spikeyhead said:

Jer_1974 said:

JustinP1 said:

Are you assuming that in her request for leave she wants her leave to be paid?

I don't know, her text just said how much compassionate leave am I allowed. I was thinking about giving her two days paid which would cover the day shes had off and a day for the funeral. I don't mind her taking more time off unpaid. Does this sound fair?
The last time someone took time off like this I gave them a week but it was for her mother in law who was quite young and had cancer. Is it fair taking it on a case by case bases? I have 15 members of staff.

You need to set things out in an ammendment to your company handbook.

On the death of a child, step-child, sibling, parent or parent-in-law, five days

For grandparents, uncles, aunts, two days.

Or anything similar that you feel appropriate.

Sounds good but i'd say main carer rather than parent as some people are brought up by grandparents or similar.

[jagracer]

Our company, a very large one, allows a couple of days for a close relative such as parent or sibling. Uncles, aunts or grand parents wouldn't qualify. When my dad died I was allowed 2 days compassionate leave and the rest of the two weeks I took off was paid as annual leave.
If you are a small company with no set rules then it'll be down to how good the employee is, how much they take the piss the rest of the year and how generous you feel.

[JustinP1]

Jer_1974 said:

JustinP1 said:

Are you assuming that in her request for leave she wants her leave to be paid?

I don't know, her text just said how much compassionate leave am I allowed. I was thinking about giving her two days paid which would cover the day shes had off and a day for the funeral. I don't mind her taking more time off unpaid. Does this sound fair?
The last time someone took time off like this I gave them a week but it was for her mother in law who was quite young and had cancer. Is it fair taking it on a case by case bases? I have 15 members of staff.

What you have said is quite right, your main concerns are:

1) Providing compassion

2) What is *seen* to be fair to others and

3) A way of doing it which stops people taking the mickey.


IMHO the fairest way of doing that is to give the employee the option of having time out of their annual leave as an automatic right, and by mutual agreement time off unpaid.

The problem with employees is you will get the odd firebrand who will know that they may be given a week paid for a grandparent and would feel hard done too if they don't get a week off for great aunt Maud, and two weeks off paid for a parent. In that situation you may find the line is consistently pushed further and further.

However, by setting out in a company handbook that time off is from annual leave or unpaid by prior agreement, then the employee themselves can decide on how much time they want to grieve, rather than base that upon what they knew Geraldine in accounts got for her grandmother.

In the current situation though I agree with what you have said. I would pay for the day already and the funeral, and offer more time but out of leave or unpaid.