MVDC wishes to encourage retention of high performing employees whilst protecting service levels and balancing workload impacts on colleagues. Applications for extended unpaid leave will therefore be considered. Typically such applications will only be appropriate from employees with at least 5 years’ service and there are restrictions on how often an employee can apply. However in some circumstances an employee who has less than 5 years’ service may submit an application for consideration.
Individual requests must always be balanced with service needs and impacts on other team members. Guidance on factors to consider is included in the policy below.
Six months is the maximum period of unpaid leave that can be granted however this is for exceptional circumstances as it will be rare that absence of this length can be accommodated without negative impact. It is expected that a three month period will be more typical.