Can you take leave when you get married, go to a funeral or a doctor’s appointment? Here we answer some of the most common questions about sick leave.
Metro jobb has enlisted the help of Anna-Karin Mattsson, ombudsman at Unionen, and Agnes Rolka, advisor at Vision to find out when you are entitled to leave. For example, can you take time off to celebrate a certain holiday? How does it work when a close relative gets sick? Read on to find out what applies in different situations.
Move
Can you take leave to move? Many employers are accommodating if you need a “moving day” and sometimes you can even be granted so-called leave for this – i.e. leave without salary deduction. So even if there is no law regulating this, it is worth asking the question.
Job interviews
If you have been dismissed from your job, you are legally entitled to be given every opportunity to find a new job – your employer must therefore grant you leave for this, according to the Employment Protection Act. If, however, you have not been dismissed, your employer has no obligation to grant you leave.
Birthdays and weddings
If you have a birthday or are getting married, it is very possible that your employer will grant you leave for this – but be aware that your employer is not obliged to do so. Check what is written in your collective agreement – if you have one – before you talk to the boss.
Holidays
Your employer is not obliged to grant you leave here either. On the other hand, it is possible that you may take vacation during the holiday and thus be free anyway.
A close relative’s illness
You have the right to receive leave in connection with illness or an accident related to a close relative – this according to the Act on the right to leave for pressing family reasons. If your immediate presence is necessary, your employer has no right to deny you leave.
Funerals
In the case of a close relative’s funeral, most employers usually grant leave or sick leave, but formally you as an employee have no legal right to get time off for this. However, it is usually not a problem to get time off in these situations.
Doctor’s visit
Many unions have negotiated the right to visit doctors during paid working hours. Otherwise, you have no legal right to get time off to go to the doctor, so if you are not part of a trade union, it is the employer who decides whether you are granted time off for this. The best thing then is to simply ask the manager if it’s okay.
