General Leave of Absence

This policy may be modified to meet the needs of your organization. If you permit a general leave of absence, the following information is typically beneficial to include:

• Definition of what qualifies as a general leave of absence.
• Procedures for obtaining a general leave of absence.
• Effect on benefits.
• A statement that the organization isn’t required to approve and isn’t required to hold a position open for an employee who takes, a general leave of absence.
• If your organization is required to offer family and medical leave, a statement excluding family and medical leaves from this policy.

SAMPLE POLICY:
GENERAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE

(Name of organization) recognizes there may be times when an employee needs to be absent from work, and the time is not covered by vacation, sick/personal, or family and medical leave. Under such circumstances, an employee may request a general leave of absence without pay.

If you need to be absent for five or more working days and desire a general leave of absence, you must submit a written application to the business administrator before the date you desire to begin the leave, stating the reason for the leave.

Factors including, but not limited to, job performance, absenteeism, departmental requirements, and other factors affecting the organization’s operations will be taken into consideration before a request is granted or denied. With that said, (name of organization) is under no obligation to grant a request for a general leave of absence and may deny or grant a request for such a leave for any reason or no reason, in its sole discretion.

All general leaves of absence must be approved in advance by the business administrator. An initial approved general leave of absence cannot exceed 90 days. However, a general leave of absence may be extended for periods of 30 days or less upon submission of a new application and further approval by this organization.

Before an approved general leave of absence, you must make specific arrangements to continue the various company benefit programs such as group health, disability, and life plans. This organization has no obligation to provide holiday pay, vacation or sick/personal benefits, or bonuses during an approved general leave of absence. Performance appraisals may be deferred for a period equal to the length of the leave. General leaves of absence are unpaid leaves.

A general leave of absence may be granted for personal, medical not qualifying under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), or other purpose. A general leave of absence does not guarantee holding the position open, as this organization may find it necessary or beneficial to fill the position. If you don’t return to work at the end of an approved general leave of absence or extension, you will be considered terminated.

Guidelines

• This policy is not intended to cover any leaves that qualify under the FMLA. To determine whether a requested general leave of absence meets the requirements of the FMLA, contact the business administrator.
• A general leave of absence does not affect your continuity of employment. Your original date of employment remains in effect.
• If you are absent for more than five working days without an acceptable reason, such as  sick/personal days, vacation days, or an authorized leave of absence, you will be considered as having voluntarily terminated your employment.
• You are generally required to exhaust all vacation days, sick/personal days, and floating holiday time prior to taking a general leave of absence.

This is a sample handbook policy only. Your organization is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. Accordingly, this document should not be used or adopted by your organization without first being reviewed and approved by a licensed attorney in your area. Brotherhood Mutual assumes no liability in preparation and distribution of this sample document.

Working Together © 2022 Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved. www.brotherhoodmutual.com/working-together. Updated 9/2021.