5. Time off for dependants

All working parents will, at some point, need time off at short notice to deal with a family emergency. This can include a child’s illness or an accident, a breakdown in childcare arrangements or an incident at school. The Employment Relations Act 1996 entitles employees to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off during working hours to deal with a family emergency involving parents, children, a spouse or cohabitee, or anyone who looks to the employee for assistance. This is referred to as emergency leave in this Chapter. The law protects those applying for this emergency leave against less favourable treatment or dismissal, for reasons related to them applying for this right.

An employee can apply to take this type of leave from day one of their employment.