Glucode Glucode Handbook

Time Off

General

There are different types of leave for different reasons.

Annual leave

It is important for employees to take leave and rest.

Cycle

An annual leave cycle means a period of 12 months commencing from your first day of employment.

Info

Carried over annual leave needs to be taken within the first 6 (six) months of the new annual leave cycle.

Policy

To know how much annual leave you are entitled to please refer to your employment contract or your leave policy on BambooHR.

When can you take annual leave?

It’s each persons responsibility to plan their own annual leave to fit in with your project commitments. Get approval through BambooHR before planning your leave.

You can only take annual leave if you:

  • have sufficient accrued annual leave available.
  • applied 10 (ten) working days before; if you plan on taking 4 (four) working days or less.
  • applied 30 (thirty) working days before; if you plan on taking 5 (five) working days or more.
  • applied for 15 (fifteen) working days or less.
  • are not in any notice period.
  • received approval from the company.

Sick leave

Sick leave only applies when you are incapacitated because of illness, indisposition or injury. Sick leave will not be approved for any scenarios where you are not incapacitated.

Cycle

A sick leave cycle is 36 (thirty-six) months.

Info

Sick leave does not carry over to the next sick leave cycle.

Policy

Paid sick leave is only approved for bona fide incapacity.

You are entitled to:

  • 1 (one) days sick leave for every 26 (twenty-six) days worked during your first year of employment.
  • 30 (thirty) days sick leave during a sick leave cycle.

Proof of Incapacity

When you are sick the company needs to keep record of the days you are absent.

Info

When you are absent because of illness, indisposition or injury you need to notify the company as soon as possible. If you are unable to do so please get help from someone close to you.

Valid proof for absence due to sick leave is: a medical certificate issued and signed by a medical practitioner - who is certified to diagnose and treat patients and who is registered with a professional council that is established by an act of parliament.

Proof for sick leave is required when you are absent:

  • for more than 2 (two) consecutive days
  • for more than 2 (two) occasions in an 8 (eight) week period
  • on a Monday or a Friday
  • on a regular interval
  • before and/or after a public holiday

Falling ill at work

If you need to leave work due to illness you must apply for leave.

Danger

It remains your responsibility to record your sick leave on your timesheet and on BambooHR.

Family responsibility leave

There are times you might need to attend to family matters during on working days.

Cycle

Family responsibility leave cycle starts 4 (four) months after your start date. It then runs from 1 January to 31 December.

Info

Family responsibility leave does not carry over to the next leave cycle.

Policy

You are entitled to 3 (three) days of family responsibility leave.

You can only take family responsibility leave:

  • if you have been employed for longer than 4 (four) months.
  • when your child is sick.
  • when your child is born.
  • in the event of a death of your:
    • life partner.
    • child or adoptive child.
    • grandchild.
    • parent or adoptive parent.
    • grandparent.
    • sibling.

If you have used all your family responsibility leave the company may decide at its discretion if you can apply for annual leave, and if you do not have sufficient accrued annual leave available, apply for unpaid leave to attend to the family matter at hand.

Info

Glucode may require reasonable proof that the leave was required.

Study leave

Study leave is only approved at the company’s discretion.

Policy

Study leave is unpaid unless you are studying a company initiated or sponsored qualification. You have the choice to use annual leave if you do not want to make use of study leave.

You can only take study leave if you:

  • applied in advance with the company for study leave.
  • have a study leave policy activated your profile on BambooHR.
  • are not in any notice period.
  • provided the company with an up to date letter from the institution where you are studying.
  • provided the company a copy of your timetable.
  • ensured the requested study days are not conflicting with critical duties and deliverables.
  • have to attend compulsory activities associated with your qualification like:
    • exams
    • formal assessments
  • have approval from the company for the requested days.

Parental Leave

Becoming a parent—whether through birth, adoption, or surrogacy is an exciting life-changing experience.

Entitlement

The employee is entitled to a maximum of four (4) months and ten (10) days’ unpaid parental leave where both parents are employed, or a maximum of four (4) months’ unpaid parental leave where the employee is a single parent or the other parent is unemployed, in accordance with applicable legislation and the Constitutional Court’s interim order.
This leave applies to biological parents, adoptive parents, and commissioning parents, and is shareable between parents where both are employed. A birth mother must take a mandatory six (6) week post-birth recovery period, which forms part of the parental leave entitlement and may not be transferred to another parent.

Policy

All employees are eligible for unpaid parental leave in accordance with applicable legislation and the Constitutional Court’s interim order.

The employee must notify Glucode in writing at least four (4) weeks before the intended commencement of parental, adoption, or commissioning leave, or as soon as is reasonably practicable if such notice cannot be given. The written notification must specify the intended start and end dates of the leave period.

Warning

Glucode encourages employees to inform the business approximately four (4) months before the expected date of birth, where reasonably practicable.

A pregnant employee expecting the birth of a child may commence parental leave at any time from four (4) weeks before the expected date of birth, unless otherwise agreed, or on a date certified necessary by a medical practitioner or midwife for health reasons. No employee may work for six (6) weeks after the birth unless certified fit to do so by a medical practitioner or midwife. After thirty-six (36) weeks of pregnancy, you must provide a medical certificate confirming fitness to work.

If you suffer a miscarriage during the third trimester or your child is stillborn, you are entitled to six (6) weeks’ parental leave after the event.

Adoption leave commences on the date the adoption order is granted or the child is placed in care pending adoption. Commissioning parental leave commences on the date the child is born as a result of the surrogacy agreement. Adoption leave applies regardless of the age of the adopted child, in line with Constitutional Court rulings.

If both parents are employed and cannot agree on how to share the leave, it will be apportioned equally (or as close as possible) and must be completed within four (4) months from the birth, adoption, or commissioning date.

An employee who qualifies may apply for benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). Approval and payment of UIF benefits are subject to UIF requirements and processes.

The following conditions apply

Should you return to work after approved parental leave, your current position at the same rate of remuneration will be guaranteed. All terms and conditions of employment will continue.While on parental leave, there is no impact to annual leave accrual.

Warning

This policy supersedes and replaces any prior maternity, parental, adoption, or commissioning leave provisions contained in all employment contracts.

Special leave

Sometimes things happen outside our control that don’t fall into the other leave categories.

Policy

Special leave can be unpaid or paid at the company’s discretion.

Special leave will only be approved under extremely special circumstances.

Info

Special leave is reviewed by the Head of People and approved by the management committee.

How to apply for time off

Apply for time off using BambooHR. You can use the website at https://glucode.bamboohr.com/home/ or use the BambooHR mobile app.

Warning

Do not take leave or plan leave without getting approval on BambooHR first.

To apply for the below leave, you need to send an email to Head of People with the dates and motivation for the leave.