Between statutory leave, public holidays that fall on a weekend, and requests for thematic leave, managing absences can quickly become a headache for an employer without a dedicated HR department.
The main categories of absence to distinguish
Not all absences are handled the same way. It's useful to clearly distinguish between:
- Statutory annual leave, calculated based on the previous year's hours worked
- Statutory public holidays, and their possible rescheduling when they fall on a non-working day
- Thematic leave (parental, care leave, etc.), subject to specific rules and notice periods
- Sick leave, with its certificate and follow-up requirements
Planning ahead rather than reacting
Good practice is to formalise in your work regulations how leave requests should be submitted, within what timeframe, and by what priority order in the event of competing requests for the same period. This avoids informal decisions that can create a sense of unfairness within the team.
A public holiday that falls on a Sunday should, in principle, be replaced by a compensatory rest day — a simple rule, but one that's often forgotten in small organisations.
What LexPay puts in place for you
We track each employee's leave balances and alert you to any situation that needs regularising, so nothing comes as a surprise at final settlement.
This article is intended for general information purposes only and does not constitute personalised legal advice. As every situation is different, please contact our team for advice tailored to your business.