Effective from August 2017

Approved by: Chief Executive Officer

At a Glance

Five Good Friends support unpaid leave for employees within the operational requirements of the organisation.

Scope

This policy relates to all Five Good Friends employees.

Objective

To support fair, reasonable and equitable treatment of employees requiring unpaid leave.

Definition

• Unpaid leave – an approved period of time away from work whereby an individual is not paid.

Policy Statement

• At the absolute discretion of Five Good Friends unpaid leave may be granted having regard to such factors as:
  • whether all accrued unused annual leave has been taken
  • in the case of long-term illness, whether:
    • the accrued sick leave has been exhausted
    • accrued annual leave has been taken
    • the reason for the request
    • length of service
    • work performance
    • attendance history, and
    • whether we are able to accommodate the request having regard to its operational requirements.
• During periods of unpaid leave, the employee will not accrue entitlements to paid leave, e.g. - personal/carer leave, annual leave and long service leave.
• The employee’s absence during the unpaid leave will not break their continuity of service.
• Application for unpaid leave must be made in writing to the direct line manager and can only be authorised by a Director. Once authorised, the person will apply for this leave in Xero and the period of leave added to the Five Good Friends leave calendar.
• A written response will be provided to the employee which include agreed timeframe and any necessary review or extension depending on the circumstances.
• A copy of this is to be filed in the employee electronic personal file.