Page 44 - EQA Employee Handbook

3.9.1 Before the Adoption
Adopting parents are entitled to paid time off work to attend preparation classes and pre-adoption
meetings with social workers or Health Service Executive (HSE) officials required during the
preadoption process.

3.9.2 During the Leave
All employment rights other than remuneration are preserved during the 24-weeks adoptive leave.
Employment rights during the 16-weeks additional adoptive leave will be frozen, i.e. the period of
employment before the leave will be regarded as continuous with the period of employment following
the leave. The employee has the right to return to work after the adoptive leave and additional leave.
An employee must give 4 weeks written notification to the employer before the end of the leave.

3.9.3 Social Insurance Benefit
You may also be entitled to social insurance benefit for adoptive leave paid by the Department of
Social, Community and Family Affairs, and you should contact the Department in this regard.

3.10 JURY SERVICE
If you are called for jury service, you will be granted paid leave from work. You should advise your
Manager as soon as you know when you are required to attend court. Your jury service summons must
be given to your Manager. You must also submit evidence of attendance when the jury service has
been completed.

If, on the day, you are not called by the court, you will be required to report for work immediately
afterwards. In addition, it is expected that employees will return to work during any portion of the day
that they are not required in court.

Attendance in court on a personal matter does not qualify for paid leave and employees would
normally be expected to take annual leave or unpaid leave.
3.11 COMPASSIONATE LEAVE
The Company will endeavour to grant time off with pay for bereavement. Approval of bereavement
leave rests with your Manager. Each situation will be considered individually but, as a general
guideline, the Company will grant up to 3 days paid leave in the case of death of immediate family
members and 1 day for relatives outside the immediate family.

Member of the 'immediate family’ is defined as the husband/wife, spouse/life partner, parent, brother
or sister, son or daughter of the employee and the spouse/life partner, son, daughter, of the employee
or any relative living in the immediate household of the employee.

The Company fully appreciates that employees may need more time off, particularly in the case of a
close family member. Exceptional cases will be looked at individually and additional leave may be
granted at Management's discretion.

3.12 FORCE MAJEURE
You have a right to take paid leave, pending approval of a Manager (of up to 3 days in any 12
consecutive months, providing same does not exceed 5 days in any 36 consecutive months and
absence for part of a day is counted as one day of force majeure leave) for urgent family reasons owing
to the injury or illness of:
• your spouse
• your child or adopted child;

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