If you work in the Emirates, you must know the types of leave in the UAE and their privileges. The UAE labor law sets up a strong foundation for the employment market. Therefore, workers need to know their leave rights.
Understanding these rights well is essential for your physical and mental wellness. It is necessary for a satisfactory work-life balance. It also ensures that your company adheres to the law to avoid hazards and fines.
This article explains the most significant elements, such as yearly time off, sick leave, maternity or parental leave, bereavement leave, and other types of leave, like study leave, and unpaid Hajj/Umrah leave. We discuss all the main categories of leave, rights, and challenges in this blog post.
Overview of Paid Leave as Per the UAE Labor Law
The UAE labor legislation covers leave for all private sector employees, whether they work full-time or part-time. Article 29 of the UAE labor law is one of the most significant provisions. It specifies that employees must get at least thirty days of fully paid yearly leave after working for the same company for a year. Two days every month for those who have worked for the same company for six months to a year.
Calculating the leaves in the UAE relies on how long the person has been with the company. The payment is usually based on the worker’s basic wage. According to the job contract, part-time employees’ benefits are based on the number of hours they actually work. Employers have to clarify leave schedules in the job agreement. They should pay for unused accrued leave upon dismissal, based on their basic salary.
Sick Leave in the UAE
After their trial period, workers can take up to paid time off for sickness per year. Depending on the situation, the sick leaves in the UAE can be paid or unpaid. You need a medical report or proof to take sick leave.
Leave Duration and Payment
Workers who finish their probation period receive ninety days of sick leave each year. The payment system is broken down into phases: the first fifteen days are completely paid, the following thirty days are half paid, and the last forty-five days are unpaid.
Leave Documentation laws
Employees must inform their employer that they are sick within three days at the most. To make the sick leave official, a valid medical note from a qualified healthcare authority, such as DHA or DOH, can be submitted.
Maternity Days Off and Breaks
After giving birth, a female employee can take six months of maternity leave in the UAE. Mothers can take one or two breastfeeding breaks each day, for a total of one hour, without salary deductions.
Maternity Days Off Duration and Payment Structure
In the UAE, maternity leave lasts for sixty days. The compensation system is as follows: forty-five days are fully compensated, and then fifteen additional days are paid at half pay. This time off is assured, no matter how long you’ve been working.
Additional Days Off for Medical Complexities
Imagine if a female employee has a pregnancy-related ailment or a complicated childbirth. In that circumstance, she might take forty-five further days of intermittent or ongoing leave without compensation right after her maternity leave.
Breastfeeding Breaks
Mothers can take one or two breaks a day to breastfeed their baby for six months after giving birth. They can take these breaks during work hours, and they add up to one hour per day and are fully compensated.
Yearly Time Off in the UAE
After one year of work, the UAE employment law indicates that employees can take paid time off annually. After six months, they can take two days off per month. Employers must pay the employee’s base salary during the vacation leave in the UAE.
Annual Time Off Eligibility & Duration
After working for a full year, workers are allowed to take thirty days of fully compensated annual leave. Workers who have worked for the company for more than six months but less than a year are allowed two working days off per month. The basic salary is paid during the time off.
Leave Carry Forward & Leave Encashment
With the employer’s permission, workers can carry over a maximum of fifteen days of yearly time off to the next year. When an employee quits or gets dismissed, they must be paid for all unused leave based on their basic income.
Employer Rights & Leave Notice
Employers can choose when a worker takes their annual break. However, they must provide them at least a month’s prior notice of the dates. When asking for leave, workers usually have to offer enough notice.
Paternity Break in the UAE
Fathers have the right to take fully paid parental or paternity leave. They can take this leave all at once, but must use it within the initial six months after the baby’s birth.
Leave Duration and Criteria
Fathers can take five full days off work as a paid parental break. Both foreign workers and native employees must take this leave during the preliminary six months after the child is born.
Study Break in the UAE
Employees seeking a break for higher education during employment are on a study break.
Criteria for Study Break
To be eligible for a study break, employees must have worked for at least two years. Employees who are enrolled in a higher education institution that is recognized in the UAE are entitled to ten days of fully paid leave per year.
Hajj or Umrah Days Off in the UAE
Muslim workers can take unpaid time off to embark on Hajj or Umrah (pilgrimage).
Leave Conditions and Timeframe
Employees can take a maximum of thirty days off work without pay to go on Hajj or Umrah. The worker can only use this significant religious leave once during their full employment tenure.
Compassionate Days Off
If a staff member’s spouse, parents, child, brother or sister, or grandchild dies, they can take paid compassionate leave in the UAE. They can take it within a month of the fatality.
Leave Rights
If the worker’s spouse dies, they can take five paid days off for compassionate leave. If a family member dies, they can get three paid days off within a month.
UAE Public Holidays
The UAE government announces public holidays, and workers have the right to take fully paid time off on these days.
UAE Official Holidays List
- Eid Al Fitr.
- Eid Al Adha.
- The UAE National Day.
- The Commemoration Day.
- The Islamic New Year,
- New Year’s Day.
These are all on the official holiday list. Workers get paid time off for all of these public holidays.
Work on Public Holidays
Employees who need to work on a public holiday must either get a day off on an alternative working day. They may get their usual daily compensation plus an extra fifty percent of the basic wage for that day.
Specific Days Off Options
Workers can ask for emergency leave in the UAE or other types of unpaid personal absence for urgent requirements. It is up to the employer to decide whether or not to grant this kind of leave. The decision is based on corporate policy and the specific situation.
Hazards in the UAE Leave Management
Some of the challenges are keeping track of leave accruals for different types of job contracts. Ensure sick leave is documented in a way that follows DHA/DOH requirements. Figure out how to handle the complicated leave carry-forward and leave encashment rules at the end-of-service.
Hurdles for Employees
Employees frequently encounter challenges in acquiring legally acceptable employment certificates. It includes medical certifications for sick leave and a deficiency in understanding their rights. Employers’ compulsion to postpone yearly leave is another challenge. Individuals often don’t understand carry-forward, and high seasons are also times when there isn’t much flexibility.
Hazards for Employers
Employers have a hard time ensuring local compliance with the nuances of Emirati labor law and keeping track of leave overlaps. It is difficult to balance productivity with unexpected medical or emergency leave applications.
Practical Ways to Resolve Issues
Use HR software to keep track of and add up leave days correctly. Make your leave policies clear and easy to find, and explain to your staff how to follow them. Use effective staffing strategies to ensure you have enough individuals during busy times and vacations.
How Employers Implement Company Leave Policies
Employers need to create policies that explicitly follow UAE labor legislation. Employing HR software to keep track of leave accruals, ensuring that policies and notice periods are well communicated. They need to educate HR staff to do complicated calculations like sick leave payouts and cashing in leave upon dismissal.
Clarify Company Leave Policies
A clear worker’s manual must include all company leave regulations and the UAE leave policy. They must be fully explained throughout the onboarding process. Employers should hold regular periodic training to ensure that employees know about notice period, eligibility, and their rights.
Paperwork and Tracking
Employers should use HRMIS systems to keep track of leave applications, approvals, and leave accruals in a digital form. Keeping precise, digital records of leave increases openness and reduces disagreements. It ensures that the labor law’s continuous service obligations and leave policy in the UAE are fulfilled.
Workers Legal Rights & Obligations
Workers have the right to take their legally required time off, such as thirty days of break each year. They must follow corporate policy and must be returned to work as soon as their leave ends.
Obligations
Employees must give enough notice period in the UAE for scheduled leave. They must send the required additional proof, such as medical certificates. They need to use the leave in a responsible and ethical way, and return to work as scheduled.
Rights Under the Employment Law
The law clarifies that workers have the basic right to get their full pay, including the annual break. They are secured against unjustified reductions to their leave. Employers can’t legally refuse to provide them their statutory, accrued leave benefits.
Conclusion
The labor law gives workers a full set of rights, including paid annual time off, maternity and parental leave, sick leave, and compassionate leave.
Following the law is crucial as it keeps employers secure from severe fines and lawsuits. In addition, workers’ health and safety are protected through proper compliance. Maintaining legal standards also makes the workplace more productive and trustworthy. It further boosts employee morale and retention while supporting long-term corporate goals, such as achieving Emiratisation benefits.
To stay fully authorized and operate smoothly, businesses need to keep up with ongoing changes to UAE labor laws.
FAQs
How much is the leave payment in the UAE?
The employee’s basic wage and allowances listed in the job contract comprise their annual leave salary. It ensures that employees get their monthly salary during approved annual leave.
How many kinds of leave are entitled to the UAE workers?
Employees have the right to get various paid leaves, such as yearly, medical, maternity/paternity, study leave, and casual leave in the UAE. The labor law includes public holidays and several types of unpaid leave, such as Hajj leave.
Does the UAE labor law allow for paternity leave?
The labor regulation provides fathers with five paid days off to care for their newborns.
Is yearly leave completely paid in the UAE?
Employees who have worked for a year get thirty days of fully compensated time off.
What papers do you need to take maternity leave?
For maternity leave, you need to provide a medical certificate from a qualified authority.
Is Hajj leave compensated or unpaid?
The UAE labor law specifies that Hajj leave for up to 30 days is unpaid. An employee can only take this exceptional leave once throughout their time at work.
How many consecutive days of emergency absence in the UAE?
There is no specific emergency leave in the UAE labor law. Generally, a worker’s existing yearly leave balance covers urgent time off, or the corporate policy allows for unpaid absence.
How many medical leaves per year in the UAE?
An employee may take ninety days of medical leave annually in the UAE, with specific circumstances and conditions for compensation.
