Leave and Absence

While leave and absence can cause complications for the day-to-day running of your business, they are particularly important to your employees.

As an employer you should be aware of leave and absence entitlements for your employees, ensuring that your business is compliant with current employment laws.

In this article we explain what you should know about leave and absence in the workplace.

Plus, discover how a centralised leave management system can transform your current HR processes!

Different types of leave for employees

Employees working in Ireland are entitled to a range of different types of leave. This applies to full-time employees, part-time, casual workers, and temporary workers.  Types of leave you should be aware of as an employer include:

• Annual Leave

• Sick Leave

• Carer's Leave

• Adoptive Leave

• Domestic Violence Leave

• Leave for Medical Care

• Maternity and Paternity Leave

What does the law say?

Most types of absence and leave entitlements are outlined by Irish employment law. Giving employers a legal responsibility to ensure all documentation and employment contracts are up to date and compliant.

In Ireland, different laws apply depending on the type of leave an employee is requesting to take. You have a responsibility to understand these laws and how they apply to you and your business.

For example, annual leave entitlements are detailed in the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. This specifies that all full-time employees in Ireland are entitled to four weeks of paid annual leave every year. The Act also explains how to apply the law for part-time, temporary, and casual employees.

While there’s plenty of information to get your head around, fear not!

Employment law advisors are the experts you can turn to for support. At BrightHR, our HR advisors are available round-the-clock, offering HR and legal advice to deal with staff issues and give you the confidence to make the right decisions.

How to manage absence and leave in the workplace

Managing absence and leave is certainly not an easy task. And with more than one staff member it can be hard to juggle staff calendars, payroll, and legal compliance.

When tackling the issue of leave and absence, whether it’s as simple as one sick day, extended leave for maternity or annual leave entitlements, it’s important to follow the right procedures.

Measuring lost time

To gain an overview of how absence and leave impacts your business year on year, you can measure lost time. There are several calculations you can use to do this:

• Lost time rate (the percentage of possible working time lost to absence)

• Frequency rate (the average number of absence periods per employee)

• The Bradford Factor (a method of identifying persistent short-term absence for individuals)

By reviewing rates of lost time YOY, you can identify the impact this is having on the business and consider ways to improve your approach. Looking at reasons why employees may be taking more sick days than usual or if your workplace culture may be impacting wellbeing and performance. Therefore, causing more employees to take extended time away from work.  

It’s important to remember that a high percentage of absenteeism can be an indicator of issues within the business. So, it’s not something you should ignore.

Creating an absence policy

A clear absence management policy helps employees understand their sickness absence rights and responsibilities. Rules on sick leave and pay form part of your employment terms and conditions, so you’re legally obliged to inform employees about them.

You can also use an absence policy to support your absence goals and your workplace culture. Policies often include:

• Rules for notifying managers about absence, who should be contacted and how

• How you’ll support employees to return to work through adjustments, return-to-work interviews etc.

• What you expect during severe weather and other major events

When employees know what you expect, you can actively manage absence. Making sure everyone follows the same rules and processes for taking time off work.

BrightBase is our HR document library, providing Bright customers with access to expertly written HR documents. Including important templates for absence policies, as well as templates and guides for other types of leave including maternity leave, bereavement leave, carer’s leave and more.

Implementing a staff holiday planner

Annual leave can cause totally separate issues. With employees booking paid holiday time at different points throughout the year, it can become easy to lose track of who is off when.

Most small businesses choose to implement a style of holiday planner or calendar to ensure everyone is aware of who has taken annual leave and when. This helps to minimise clashes in time off and to allow for better planning of tasks and meetings.

Improve your absence and leave management with HR software

Finding yourself in a HR nightmare doesn’t have to be the case. Thanks to HR software it’s easier than ever to simplify, streamline, and manage leave and absence.

At BrightHR our cloud-based HR software offers both an easy-to-use staff holiday planner and absence reporting tool. Gain a 360-degree overview of who’s off with a team calendar view, and record absence by leave type in just a few clicks.

What’s more, our BrightHR app allows you to monitor, track, and approve absence requests from your phone or mobile device. No matter where you are, whether out of the office or on a business trip, you can manage leave and absence with ease.

Book a free demo with our team today to discover our incredible features and find out for yourself how much time BrightHR can save you.