Types of Leave in the UAE: Complete Guide for Employees

Understanding the types of leave in the UAE Labour laws is essential to improving the balance between employees and employers. Both employers and employees should be informed about these leave types.

Sections of the UAE Labour Law relating to leave allow employees to take sick, annual, unpaid, maternity, paternity, and other types of leave.

In this blog, we will be discussing all there is to know about the UAE leave policy to give our readers a better understanding.

Leave Management System

A leave management system is essential for any organization doing business in the UAE. Most of these systems assist employers in tracking and monitoring the different types of leave provided to employees in the UAE and the existing laws, thus eliminating conflicts.

Sometimes, a leave management system can electronically process the leave application, approve it, and compute the accrued leave.

Types of Leave

This article compiles the various types of leave provided to employees in the private sector within the region.

• Annual Leave in UAE
• Sick Leave in UAE
• Maternity Leave in UAE
• Parental Leave and Paternity Leave
• Hajj and Pilgrimage Leave
• Study Leave
• Sabbatical Leave
• Bereavement Leave

Annual Leave in UAE

Of these, the most common type of leave you are likely to encounter in the United Arab Emirates is probably annual leave. Organizations often have standardized policies whose main content is that employees are supposed to be granted a certain number of working days annually depending on the period of service they have offered.

Under UAE labour laws of employment, any employee who realizes employment with a particular employer for more than twelve months is entitled to be absent from work for thirty days’ annual leave.

For those who have served six months but less than one year, the entitlement is two days a month. This leave may be taken at once or intermittently over a year, as agreed between the employee and the employer.

Annual leave is taken in proportion to the employee’s basic pay. Where the employer has agreed, employee yearly leave may be accumulated and taken later in a year other than that to which such leave is attributed.

Whenever an employee resigns or is dismissed, he is usually paid out for any unused leave. For this reason, it is vital to be acquainted with the rules governing the leave salary calculation in the UAE.

Annual leave and other forms of leave calculation are well explained and can be found on the official UAE Labour Law website.

Sick Leave in UAE

Sick leave is another significant type of leave in the UAE. There is a provision for sick leave to a maximum of ninety days in any calendar year, and it is for the worker who has completed his probation period. The leave mentioned above may be availed in one go or intermittently, according to the nature of the illness.

The law provides that payments are paid when employees are on sick leave in the following scale: calendar days, One Hundred Percent of salary for the first fifteen days, fifty percent of wages for the next thirty calendar days, and no payment for the other forty-five calendar days.

Maternity Leave in UAE

Maternity leave in the UAE is among the highest in the Middle East, evidence of the government’s concern for working mothers. Dur­ing maternity leave in UAE or any emirate in the country, women can take anywhere from three weeks to ninety days, depending on the situation. A female employee is entitled to maternity leave in the following way: 45 days of fully paid maternity leave and 15 days of paid leave at half salary.

Where complications are associated with pregnancy or childbirth, an additional 45 days may be given with no pay, but a doctor’s certificate must be produced. Moreover, if the newborn has health problems or a disability, the mother can receive an additional 30 days of paid leave; leave without pay can also be granted for 30 days.

After returning to work, a mother is allowed two extra daily breaks, amounting to an hour, to nurse her child. Such breaks are paid and can be claimed for up to six months from delivery.

Parental Leave and Paternity Leave

In addition to maternity leave, the UAE provides parental leave to both the mother and the father, becoming the first Arab country to introduce such a benefit to private-sector workers.

Family leave and child care entitle employees to five working days when a child is born every six months. This leave is fully paid and is meant to address issues related to family integration and equality between male and female employees.

Paternity Leave is the latest attempt by the UAE government to promote a more friendly work environment for families and, in turn, the community’s drive to enhance human resource attractiveness for the private sector. This aligns with the country’s progressive stance on better work-family balance.

Hajj and Pilgrimage Leave

UAE Muslim employees can take their Hajj leave to observe this Islamic duty. This unpaid leave can last no more than 30 days and is bestowed once during the personnel’s service with an organization.

Taking Hajj leave is difficult, as employees must often request the leave before getting the employer’s clearance.

Hajj leave is, therefore, a crucial type of leave in the UAE because it enables an employee to confidently undertake one of Islam’s obligations without fear of losing his/her job. Employers should support such requests and grant them as far as possible.

Study Leave

The UAE has been found to encourage professional development through higher education. Paid study leave can be advantageous to employees in that they are given time off from work to attend an accredited institution. This provision is a good representation of the country’s policy on advancing the workforce and continuing education.

According to UAE labor law, Employees can take study leave for ten days per year if they meet the right qualifications. The rest should also consider examination timetables and subjects to be covered and/or offered. This leave enables professional working individuals to attend to their duties to their organizations and, at the same time, classes.

Another condition must be fulfilled: employees must have served their current organization for at least two years. This condition fosters loyalty and, at the same time, the best preparation for the career advancement of its workers. Employees should approach their human resource department for the required details and documents.

Sabbatical Leave

Sabbatical leave can be considered to occupy a unique place in the UAE’s labour relations system. It will be helpful to note that this is not the conventional sabbatical leave within academia but rather a leave provided solely for the natives of the Emirates to enable them to undertake their national duties.

According to Article 32 of the Federal Decree Law No. (33), a sabbatical can last for as low as 11 months up to three years.

This provision is compulsory for male Emirati employees, while female employees can avail of it voluntarily. The aim is to enable individuals to make a positive impact in contributing to their nation’s growth alongside their stable source of income in employment. The affected employees must provide official documents showing their national service obligations from the appropriate organization.

During the sabbatical period, an employee remains their employer’s employee, enabling the parties to return to work seamlessly whenever the service period is done.

Bereavement Leave

Compassionate or bereavement leave is provided to the employees when any of the immediate family members of the employee’s demise. In the UAE, employees have the right to leave of absence in the event of the death of any of the following relatives:

• Bereavement of spouse: 5 days absence.
• Bereavement of parent, child, sibling (brother & sister including step-siblings),
• Grandchild or grandparent: 3 days absence.

This types of leave in the UAE is paid, allowing employees to mourn and attend to other issues.

Although employers are required to provide at least the minimum, they are entitled to offer more favorable conditions for the allowance of bereavement leave according to the requirements stated by the UAE Labour Law.

Conclusion

The UAE has rules about time off work that cover many types of leave, such as annual and sick leave, and special leaves like maternity, paternity, study, and sabbatical leave. These rules ensure that everyone follows the law and help improve workplaces.

FAQs

1. What Are Some Typical Forms of Leave in the UAE?

The primary forms of leave in the UAE are annual, sick, and maternity leave. Other leaves, such as parental leave, Hajj leave, study leave, etc., are also granted depending upon certain conditions.

2. How Is the Accrual of Annual Leave Determined in the UAE?

Annual leave is worked based on the years of service completed and the basic pay. Employees with one year or more of service get 30 days of annual leave. Those with 6-12 months of service get two days for every month worked.

The leave salary calculation in UAE allows employees to be compensated for unused leave in case of termination of employment.

3. What Time Do Individuals Take Sick Leave in the UAE?

Workers are also allowed up to 90 days’ sick leave annually, provided they have served their probationary period. The leave is paid in stages: Provisions of total wages for the first fifteen days, half wages for the next thirty days, and no wages for the remaining forty-five days.

4. To What Extent Can Employers in the UAE Refuse Employees’ Leave Applications?

Yes, employers can refuse leave applications if they are not by the provisions of the UAE Labour Law or as formulated and implemented by the company. For instance, sick leave may be declined for contractually expected misconduct, or Hajj leave may be declined if the employee does not meet the required conditions.

Realizing these aspects of the types of leave in the United Arab Emirates enables employees and employers to understand their rights and responsibilities, enhancing productivity and legal compliance.

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