Bite-Size HR: The Fifth Bite
Published: December 7, 2023
Employment Relations Adviser, Helen, covers three common misconceptions around Personal Leave entitlements.
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What are the biggest misconceptions
about personal leave? First misconception:
Personal leave cannot be used for
pre-arranged medical appointments or
elective surgery. It is not uncommon to
receive leave requests from employees to
attend pre-arranged medical appointments
or elective surgery. These types of
absences can only be covered by personal
leave if the employee is unable to
attend work because of a personal
illness or injury. In first instance, it
is recommended to review your current
policies and procedures in the employee
handbook to ensure that you qualify for
the correct leave otherwise employers
can ask for evidence from the employee
to confirm that they are unfit for work.
Second misconception: Unused personal leave
does not roll over to the following year.
Any unused personal leave balance at the
end of the year will carry over into the
next year. It is the same as annual leave
except unused personal leave is not paid
out upon termination.
It is worth noting some awards or
negotiated agreements may allow your
employee to cash out personal and carer's leave entitlements.
Third misconception: Compassionate leave is the
same entitlement as personal leave.
Whilst compassionate leave is a subsection of
the Personal Leave provisions under the
National Employment Standards, it is a
separate entitlement to paid personal
leave, therefore any absences on compassionate
leave is not deducted from the employees
personal leave balance. Some awards may have
unique stipulations around personal
leave and compassionate leave, so call us if
you need to be sure of what may uniquely
apply to your business