Paid leave from work

c68zapdsm5i1ru

Interesting conversation has just taken place here in work.

The Government are about to introduce two weeks paid parental leave a year, with the intention of increasing it year on year.

This is generally considered to be positive. But several people I work with frequently have to take time off work to look after elderly parents, bring them to medical appointments, take care of them when they fall ill, be with them when they're in hospital etc. all at their own expense, or out of their annual leave. We were just wondering if adults in that situation should also be entitled to some paid leave from work and their family obligations and duties recognised as being just as time consuming and important as many parents.

Just wondering what other Board members think?

Tabnabs

I wonder who is going to do the work of those on leave, especially in small companies?

c68zapdsm5i1ru

Well yes, I suppose that will be a problem as well. But as it applies to mothers and fathers at least it won't lead to reluctance to hire women.

Grayson

Tabnabs wrote: »

I wonder who is going to do the work of those on leave, especially in small companies?

The same people that would do it when they take their holidays? They're employees, not indentured servants.

SEPT 23 1989

Tabnabs wrote: »

I wonder who is going to do the work of those on leave, especially in small companies?

It's all well and good in multinationals and the public service different story in small operations

HandsomeBob

What's new if you're a working person and single. Another case of tough ****. Every single person will have a reason at one point or another to warrant paid leave outside the norm but will never be defined outside the usual.

Owryan

HandsomeBob wrote: »

What's new if you're a working person and single. Another case of tough ****.

Why would you need parental leave if you're single and not a parent?

Riskymove

Graham Round Cube wrote: »

But several people I work with frequently have to take time off work to look after elderly parents, bring them to medical appointments, take care of them when they fall ill, be with them when they're in hospital etc. all at their own expense, or out of their annual leave.

Force Majeur?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Force majeure allows for 3 days in 12 months or 5 in a 36 month period. It's an underutilised entitlement.

TheBoyConor

Interesting take on it from the POV of caring for elderly parents or relatives.

Given the trends in demographics and the aging or europe etc, having a carer's leave something akin to parental leave is something that is going to have to be looked at by governments. Perhaps eventually parental leave would be curtailed and carer's leave for elderly relatives introduced.

Kristopherus

Riskymove wrote: »

Force Majeur?

Only available in emergency family/personal situations as a rule. Defo not as freely available as annual leave days.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

HandsomeBob wrote: »

What's new if you're a working person and single. Another case of tough ****. Every single person will have a reason at one point or another to warrant paid leave outside the norm but will never be defined outside the usual.

So... you think it's a bad idea for someone else gets leave that they should be perfectly entitled to in a society that claims the family to be one of its cornerstones, purely because there's nothing in it for you?

Riskymove

Kristopherus wrote: »

Only available in emergency family/personal situations as a rule. Defo not as freely available as annual leave days.

Isn't that what the OP is asking about?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Kristopherus wrote: »

Only available in emergency family/personal situations as a rule. Defo not as freely available as annual leave days.

That was the point in the OP surely?

HandsomeBob

Owryan wrote: »

Why would you need parental leave if you're single and not a parent?

Well the issue is in the question you've asked. Every one will need leave (and ideally paid) at times but often people will have to be put through the embarrassment of having a meeting with a manager to justify it.

Parental leave wouldn't be questioned and rightly so, and no meeting would be called to discuss it. It is the assumption that annoys me where there must be something fishy about a single person requesting paid leave.

Kristopherus

Riskymove wrote: »

Isn't that what the OP is asking about?

Laney Thoughtless Toothpick wrote: »

That was the point in the OP surely?

No. Force Majeur is for unforeseen emergencies. Medical appts for family members are usually notified well in advance. You cannot take F.M willy-nilly.

2smiggy

2 weeks paid leave , in addition to holidays ?

Who do the government think will pay for all this, especially for small companies.

More and more companies will just take on single, childless people. That's about another €10000 our small company would have to come up with , with no return.

diomed

I think childless workers should get extra pay when people go on paid parental leave.
Why? Because they do the work when others don't.

McGrath5

2smiggy wrote: »

2 weeks paid leave , in addition to holidays ?

Who do the government think will pay for all this, especially for small companies.

More and more companies will just take on single, childless people. That's about another €10000 our small company would have to come up with , with no return.

Typical small company attitude.

Maybe if employees have legislation in place that allows them to take extra leave when their child is born, they will be happier and more productive employees.

Lu Tze

McGrath5 wrote: »

Typical small company attitude.

Maybe if employees have legislation in place that allows them to take extra leave when their child is born, they will be happier and more productive employees.

Its parental leave i.e. not necessarily when your child is born, and presumably applies every year the child is under a certain age Edit:basing this on current unpaid parental leave .

I would be pretty pissed if this was brought in, and somebody was paid the same salary as me for working two weeks less a year for 10 years or whatever it would be set at.

bucketybuck

McGrath5 wrote: »

Typical small company attitude.

Maybe if employees have legislation in place that allows them to take extra leave when their child is born, they will be happier and more productive employees.

Thats a vague "maybe" weighed against the guaranteed loss of productivity that has to be covered by the businesses least able to do so.

Speaking of a small company attitude is ridiculous, its not an attitude, its a reality. Small companies with few staff and fine margins are hugely impacted by staff taking extended periods of leave, anything that increases that burden should not be dismissed so easily.

Raging_Ninja

Lu Tze wrote: »

I would be pretty pissed if this was brought in, and somebody was paid the same salary as me for working two weeks less a year for 10 years or whatever it would be set at.

If you're doing 2 weeks more work than somebody else per year and getting the same amount as them then you're negotiating your wage badly.

soups05

it sounds great to me, my kids are all grown up, so it increases my chance at getting a job cos the future employer won't have to worry about losing me for an extra 2 weeks lol. bring it on i say.

Cian_ok

2smiggy wrote: »

Who do the government think will pay for all this, especially for small companies.

More and more companies will just take on single, childless people. That's about another €10000 our small company would have to come up with , with no return.

I assume this would be like maternity leave. The government pays minimum wage to the person for their two weeks off, and the employer can choose to pay them the balance to bring them to their normal wages.

So the company would lose 2 weeks worth of work from the father, but wouldn't have to pay them for those 2 weeks (unless they wanted to)

_Dara_

Grayson wrote: »

The same people that would do it when they take their holidays? They're employees, not indentured servants.

Companies know how much the annual leave of their employees amounts to each year and can plan accordingly, even if they don't know exactly how that leave will be taken.

A line has to be drawn somewhere. Yeah, there are some uncertainties ie. a female employee getting pregnant, force majeure leave being required. But people are there to work and resentment would build if one had to take on a lot of extra work for someone else taking leave for personal reasons. With annual leave, it's reciprocal. The person who takes on the extra work gets to give work to others when they go on holiday.