Hi, just wondering about this and looking for advice!
I work in an educational setting with the UK and I am hoping to take unpaid time off (I have used up all my annual leave days). The reason for this is that my dad has been suffering from severe mental health issues for a few years, he is a little better than how bad it was before but he is no where near well yet. We have a relative who lives abroad in the country where my dad is from (all of his family live there too) she is a very successful therapist who offered to provide therapy over 6-8 weeks for my dad. We have decided to go ahead and try it- its our last hope. We also believe it would help him being there with all of our extended/his family who we haven’t seen in years since my he has been unwell and due to covid- its an opportunity we feel we couldn’t miss.
I am prepared to hand in my 6 weeks notice (which I would have to hand in next week)to quit my job for this. I only get paid minimum wage, am on a zero hour contract (even though I work set days/hours like a full time member) and money isn’t an issue for me at the moment. However, I do enjoy it here and I would like to stay if possible. We are a tight-knit team and I have string bonds with the children and parents. I know I add value to the place and that it would be difficult to replace me- I think they would rather me come back from this trip rather than quit altogether. Staffing would be an issue regarding my absence, they would have to rely on agency workers more whilst im away, and so I do feel really guilty/bad about having to leave the for this. However, I am wondering if asking for unpaid leave would be possible? Would this be considered good grounds for taking unpaid leave? I am considering coming back earlier by myself (4 weeks rather than 6-8 weeks) as a courtesy to them if they do accept unpaid leave.
TL;DR: I work at an educational setting within the UK. I want to ask for unpaid leave of 4 weeks. The reason for this is that my dad has been suffering from severe mental health issues for the past few years, the opportunity has come up to visit a relative who is a successful therapist who lives abroad in the country my dad is from. We have tried NHS and private therapists etc here however they haven’t made the slightest impact. This therapist offers alternative methods and has supposedly helped many people who received therapy from private/NHS that didn’t work. She offered to provide therapy for 6-8 weeks, and we have decided to do it is our last hope -we are hopeful it will make a difference as well as the fact that being surrounded by his family who he hasn’t seen in years will benefit him too. I am prepared to quit my job for this, as this/my family comes first. I get paid minimum wage, on a zero hours contract (even though my hours are like full time) and I am okay financially for now. However, I do like this job and would like to stay if possible. We are a small/tight-knit team, I have strong bonds with parents and children and I know I add value to the place. I know they would struggle if I was to leave regarding staffing, skills and general understanding of how the place is run. I was suggested to ask for unpaid leave, I want to ask but I am unsure if this is an appropriate reason? I am prepare to come back earlier (4 weeks rather than 6) by myself as a courtesy to them if they would accept it.
5 comments
Yes. Yes it is.
If they say no then it was never a good place to work anyway.
I think your TLDR is longer than your post…
But yes, I think that’s a perfectly valid reason to ask for unpaid leave. Zero hours contracts work both ways, it should be giving you the same flexibility it offers your company. If they don’t want you disappearing for 6 weeks, they can put you on a proper contract with guaranteed hours.
Based on what you’ve written, it sounds like they would likely accept this leave as well. It will probably take them 6 weeks to hire and train someone new to your level, so they may as well just get some temporary cover and then accept you back after 6 weeks.
Go to your GP and say that your dad is suffering from his mental health and you need time off. Its too much to deal with that and work.
You might get signed off work with stress and you’ll not have to take unpaid leave
Edit: Im not promising you anything but a lot of employers (who actually care about their employees) will recommend this. Their hands are often tied when it comes to strict policies around granting special leave requests etc so they will tell you to get a doctors note for stress.
You are on zero hours, just update them your availability has changed those weeks.
Remember there is a statutory right to leave to care for dependants (which does not have to b e paid): [https://www.gov.uk/time-off-for-dependants](https://www.gov.uk/time-off-for-dependants) This situation is not exactly “an unplanned emergency”, but it is a serious and urgent need, so I suggest you don’t rely on waving the law at your employer as a first step but instead approach the situation as if it is inevitable that they must do this for you and you are discussing how best to achieve it.
I suggest you approach this by meeting with the manager who approves your time off or schedules your work, explaining that you are caring for your father and he needs care while he undergoes therapy to help resolve his mental health issues. Then state you are meeting to discuss unpaid leave to care for a dependent (your father) and would like to discuss how to best arrange this and how to minimise the impact on the business/enterprise.
That should move the discussion to “what time you need off”, so be prepared with a calm and realistic answer. Try to have a fixed number, not a variable one, because this will help with the work planning to come. So, perhaps ask for the 6 weeks (don’t try to make it too short and increase the chances of not being able to stick to it). Try to have some answers for how to cover your work, too – perhaps you can suggest a colleague to cover for you, or provide extra training and documentation for others to do your tasks, or re-arrange major projects so you finish one before you go on leave and start another when you come back, or so on.