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How to devise and implement a policy on compassionate leave

Summary

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Recognise the benefits of granting compassionate leave to employees who need time off to deal with personal and family problems.
Understand the statutory right of all workers to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off work for dependants.
Incorporate the right to statutory carer's leave into your policy.
Make a policy on compassionate leave applicable to all employees.
Include in the policy a list of the family members and others in respect of whom the right to take leave will apply.
Define clearly the range of circumstances in which compassionate leave will be granted.
Specify the procedure that employees should follow to request compassionate leave.
Set out how much compassionate leave may be granted, while retaining some discretion and flexibility to be able to show consideration to individual employees in times of difficulty.
Decide whether compassionate leave should be granted on a paid or unpaid basis, or a combination of both.
Take steps such as issuing written management guidelines to ensure that the policy on compassionate leave is applied fairly and consistently, while still allowing flexibility to cater for individuals' needs.