Compassionate leave with pay
Scope and application
Employees may be granted compassionate leave with pay for a maximum of 12 work days per year. If the service allows it, compassionate leave can be taken as whole days or part time. Compassionate leave is regulated in the Basic Collective Agreements § 22.
Application for compassionate leave must be registered in the self-service portal. In many cases, there will be a need for dialogue between the manager and the employee in addition.
Reasons for compassionate leave
Compassionate leave may be granted for important welfare and care reasons. UiO wants to show flexibility and be accommodating to employees who have a need and reasons for compassionate leave.
The immediate manager assesses whether the reason for the leave falls under "important welfare and care reasons", and how long leave is granted. This is mainly an individual assessment. To ensure uniform personnel policy and uniform practice, UiO has some guidelines for certain reasons for absence, as shown in the table below.
| Reason for absence |
Number of years per year unless special circumstances provide a valid reason for deviation |
|---|---|
| Adaption to kindergarten | Up to three days when adapting to a new kindergarten |
| First day of school | The child's first day of school |
| Planning days in school/kindergarten | Up to two days in total |
| Moving | One day in total |
| Funeral for close family or other close relationships | Necessary time to attend the funeral, up to 3 days |
| Marriage | The day of the marriage ceremony |
For other reasons for leave, there will be a greater need for individual assessments of the length of leave. This applies especially for serious illness or death in close family or other close relationships.
In some situations, it may be natural to make an overall assessment in which several factors of the situation are included, for example, so that a death in a close relationship is seen in conjunction with participation in the funeral and other practical tasks related to the death.
Discretionary assessments
Beyond these guidelines, the employer assesses on an individual basis whether the circumstances in a specific application for compassionate leave fall under "important welfare and care reasons", and how long leave should be granted. In making the decision, both the specified reasons for leave (e.g. how serious the situation is, the degree of unpredictability, whether other leave reasons are more appropriate) and the employee's individual situation and needs (e.g. life stage, family situation, caregiving burden, travel distance, health status, and work situation) must be taken into account.
For predictable events such as confirmations, parent breakfasts in kindergarten, conference hours, and the like, flexitime or vacation should be used.
Doctor appointments etc
Employees have the right to necessary short-term absence during working hours, for example, short visits to the doctor or dentist, without the absence being deducted from the quota for flexitime or compassionat leave. The absence must be clarified with the immediate manager in advance. Repeated treatments with a doctor, etc., should be taken as flexitime or as compassionat leave if the employer finds it appropriate.
Part-time employees should be encouraged to schedule medical visits and the like outside working hours as far as possible.
Care of close relatives in the final phase of life
Employees who care for close relatives at home in the final phase of life are entitled to leave with pay for up to 60 days for each patient, cf. the Basic Collective Agreements in the state § 20. no. 8. This is not considered as compassionate leave.
Compassionate leave without pay
The employer may, after a discretionary assessment of each individual case, grant compassionate leave without pay. The reason stated for leave, the employee's individual situation, and the needs of the organization are included in the discretionary assessment.
Applications for compassionate leave without pay are to be made on the application form for leave of absence (excel).