The UAE has recently made some impeccable changes to its Labour Law and has become the buzzing talk of the town these days. Through bridging the public and the private sectors together, certain amendments are made. With that, the New Labour Law 2022 will become effective from February 2, 2022. While the national emiratis might already be familiar with a lot of the legal aspects, the expatriates may need some help in that manner. After all, they need to know the underlying changes, especially related to the leave policy before binding into the new contract.
Importance of Leave Policy
Companies and organizations offer all sorts of perks and benefits for their employees. But nothing exceeds far more than obtaining the leaves. This time off allows the employees to rest and relax, take a vacation and spend some time with their families. Such refreshing time rejuvenates their souls and energizes their bodies to give them the much-needed start to get back and tackle the work pressure while working towards completing them in the set time.
With that, here is a look at the leave policy of the new Labour Law of UAE:
Annual Leave
Certain changes have been made to the annual leave. As per the directions of the new labour law, full-time employees will receive 30 days of annual leave. This equally applies to the employees of the public and private sectors.
Moreover, once the employees complete six months of services, they can get 2-paid leaves every month, for the remaining months of the calendar year. Nevertheless, the law also implies that the employees should utilize all the annual leaves in the time of one year. After all, they contribute towards employee wellbeing and confidence and ensure consistent work productivity.
Maternity Leave
With every passing year, women’s empowerment continues to manifest amazing results. Women of the world today can maintain a balance between work and home chores together. Since the UAE economy envisions enabling women to continue pursuing economic growth, they begin with the support in the maternity phase.
As per the new Labour Law, women will now be able to avail themselves a total of 60-days of maternity leaves. These constitute a full paid leave of 45 days and a half paid leave for the remaining 15 days. Moreover, in the case of a miscarriage, the female employee can still take the said maternity leave.
Paternity Leave
Paternity leaves are designed to encourage parent-child bonding in the early days. These leaves work to help the new parents manage their work and new parenthood the most. Serving as an advantage for both of them, UAE Labour Law allows the fathers to take a minimum of 5 days of paternity leave. These start from the initial days to six months after the child’s birth, allowing the young parents to make the most out of their family bonding time.
Study Leave
Career development is a lifelong process. Some people choose to enroll in year-long degree programs, while others opt for certifications and shorts-courses, with hands-on training programs. The UAE Labour Law 2022 encourages these enthusiastic employees and ensures their ability to maximize their education completion.
It is excellent news for employees who are studying in accredited UAE educational institutes! Employees with at least two years of service to their employer will get ten days of study leave for examinations under the new labour law.
Sick Leave
Sick leave is also advantageous to an employee who will be unable to perform effectively due to illness. It enables the employee to devote some time to self-care and rehabilitation. Paid sick leave may also offer employees the time they need to seek medical care for their present condition when necessary.
Under the new Labour Law, the employees have the right to at least 90 days of sick leave every year. The first 15 days are paid, and the remaining 30 days are half pay. The last 45 days will be unpaid.
Mourning Leave
Companies pay for three days of bereavement leave following the death of an immediate family member. The new UAE Labour code will also make modifications to leave days taken in the event of the death of a family member.
This gives the employees, 5 days of leave if their spouse passes away. Also, the employee will get three days’ leave if his or her father, mother, sibling, or grandparent dies.
The Takeaway
Proper leave management systems provide the companies with managing the workforce effectively. It gives the employees mental, emotional, and physical replacement. Similarly, the recruiters and organizational team get an insight into the leave trends across the organization. If case of any difficulties, they can work on solutions with their staff, thereby ensuring greater work productivity.
