In order to ensure employee well-being and better work-life balance, the UAE government entitles employees to various types of leaves. In fact, the Federal Decree No. 33/2002 also known as the United Arab Emirates Labor Law deals specifically with employer-employee relations.
This comprehensive legislation was introduced to better regulate the private sector and a big part of it deals with the frameworks for granting leaves to employees.
Understanding different types of leaves under the UAE labor law policy is very important if a business wants to remain fair to its employees while showing compliance with the government guidelines at the same time.
This blog explores all the main types of leaves in the UAE that every business operating in the region should know. This can allow them to facilitate their employees better which can lead to a more harmonious and well-regulated environment so keep on reading till the end.
- Annual Leave
- Weekly Day Off
- Emergency Leave
- Sick Leave
- Maternity Leave
- Compassionate/Bereavement Leave
- Parental Leave
- Public Holiday Leaves
- Sabbatical Leave
- Umrah and Hajj Leave
- Study Leave
Following are some of the most notable leaves that employees in the UAE are entitled to:
Annual Leave
Article 29 of the UAE employment law and the Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations in the Private Sector, the “UAE Labour Law” states that every employee must be awarded an annual leave during each year of service. This leave may not be less than:
- Two days per month in respect of the employees who have more than six months and less than 12 months of service in that organization.
- 30 days paid leave per year for employees whose period of service is more than 12 months.
- In case the employee’s service ends before they use their annual leave balance, employees will receive leaves proportional to the fraction of the final year worked.
- For part-time employees, the actual working hours they spent as specified in the contract will be used to determine annual leaves.
- Employees must use the annual leaves in the year of the entitlement.
- Both the employer and employee may set the dates of the leaves according to work requirements.
- According to UAE labor law, employers have to notify their employees about the date of the annual leave at least one month in advance.
- The calculation of the annual leaves will include official holidays and other leaves that the employee took that fall within the annual leave period unless there are other provisions in the contract.
Weekly Day Off
Every private sector employee is entitled to at least one day off per week. This is mandated by Article 21 of the UAE labor law. Based on their own leave policies, employers may increase the number of weekly day offs.
Government employees work five days and get a half day on Fridays. The private sector may also align its policies accordingly to boost employee productivity and promote wellbeing.
Emergency Leave
According to the emergency leave UAE labor law, employees are entitled to emergency leaves in the UAE and the number of leaves depends on the severity of the situation. Employees, however, need to apprise the employer at the earliest to ensure the regular work goes on without major hiccups.
The leave rules of each company are what govern emergency leaves and the UAE labor law has no specific guidelines in this case since it is difficult to predict emergencies and the leaves needed.
These leaves can be either paid or unpaid based on the leave policy of that company.
Sick Leave
Article 31 of the UAE labor law states that, after the probation period, the employees will get a 90-day continuous or intermittent medical leave in the UAE per annum.
Following are some of the main points of the sick leave policy in UAE:
- First 15 days with paid leave.
- The next 30 days with half pay.
- Any remaining period will be unpaid leave.
- During the probation period, the employee can get sick leave without compensation subject to the employer’s approval based on valid medical reports from a certified source.
- Employees are not eligible for paid sick leave if they are on probation or if the medical issue results from their own misconduct.
- They are also not eligible for paid sick leave if they violate safety instructions mentioned in the effective legislation in the UAE or the rules set out in the firm’s regulations.
- To get sick leave, employees must notify the relevant personnel within a maximum of 3 days and attach a medical report issued by recognized authorities with the application.
Maternity Leave
According to the maternity leave UAE labor law, female employees can get maternity leaves of 60 days out of which 15 are at half pay while 45 are at full pay. After 60 days, these employees are also entitled to a 45-day unpaid maternity leave that they can either take continuously or intermittently. The maternity leaves can be applied before 30 days of the expected date of delivery.
Mothers can also take an additional 30 days of paid maternity leave in the UAE if the baby is unwell. Female workers are also entitled to fully paid one or two up to 1 hour breaks each day for six months for nursing their child.
Compassionate/Bereavement Leave
Employees are entitled to bereavement or compassionate leave in the UAE when a close family member passes away. They can get:
- Five days leave for the death of your spouse.
- Bereavement leave in UAE is 3 days for the death of a close relative like a parent, child, sibling, grandchild, or grandparent.
Parental Leave
Under the leave policy in UAE, new parents (both mother and father) are entitled to five days of paid parental leave that they can use from the day the child is born to the day it gets six months old.
Sabbatical Leave
According to the leave policy in UAE, Emirati nationals are entitled to a paid sabbatical leave to complete their national duty or service as mandated by the Federal Decree-Law No. 6/2014. Emirati nationals are required to obtain approval before undertaking their national duty from the UAE National and Reserve Service Committee of the Armed Forces General Command.
Umrah and Hajj Leave
Employees in the UAE can get unpaid Hajj leave for up to 30 days only once during their employment in the company.
There are no special provisions for the Umrah leave in UAE labor law. It is up to the employer to decide whether to add this leave to the annual leave or consider them as unpaid leaves based on their own policies.
Study Leave
The UAE government also allows for higher study leaves for its employees. However, this leave is only applicable if the employee is studying within the UAE. Another prerequisite for getting this leave is that the employee must have a service period of two years within that company.
For the study, employees can get 10 paid leaves annually to pursue their education and take exams. This step has been introduced to upskill the workforce and promote higher education in the region.
Public Holiday Leaves
According to Article 28 of the Labour Law in the UAE, every employee is entitled to fully paid leave on all official or gazetted holidays. Essential workers who have to work on these days are entitled to get proper compensation (pay for the day plus 50% of their basic wage) or they can get alternate leaves that they can use on their own will or according to the agreement they come to with the employer.
Following are some public holiday leaves that you can get in the UAE:
- Commemoration Day (1st December)
- National Day (2nd and 3rd December)
- Gregorian New Year (1st January)
- Eid Al Fitr
- Arafah Day
- Eid Al Adha
- Hijri New Year: 1 Muharram
- 12th of Rabi al Awwal (Prophet Mohammed’s birthday)
Conclusion
People working in the UAE enjoy fairly relaxed leave policies under the provisions of the UAE Labor Law which aims to create cordial employee/employer dynamics by protecting the rights of both parties.
The government in the region takes the wellbeing of its workforce very seriously which is why they have laid out an extensive framework when it comes to leaves both in public and private sectors.
Every business operating in the region must consider these leave policies when coming up with employee contracts. The leave policies of the UAE aim to create a healthier work environment where employees feel valued. This can in turn create a more motivated workforce that can drive your business as well as the country’s economy towards new heights.
You can visit us at HRSG today to get the best-integrated facility management, recruitment, and organizational development solutions to ensure long-term success in your business in the UAE.
