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A concerned young man sits at the bedside of an older man who appears asleep. The image could be a hospital The text overlay reads "Irelands workplace care leave rights"
Posted on by Jane Morgan

Workplace Leave For Caring – Your Rights in Ireland

Leave Rights

In law in Ireland, employees have legal rights to take time away from work temporarily to care for family members. All of these leave options protect your job while you step out to provide critical support to family, i.e. they are “statutory entitlements”. Organizations can, and often do, offer additional leave options as part of their benefits programme to attract and retain staff.

Some workplace leave options are unpaid, such as serious medical leave, and some paid, such as force majeure. In other cases the rules specify upon a minimum amount of time spent in employment or an amount of time spent with a particular employer before the state provides a benefit.

Force majeure is typically short-term, usually a day. Others, such as carer’s leave, can be up to 2 years.

All protect your job while you provide critical support to your family.

Most types of leave for caring are available to everyone in employment. Typically they are available in all types of workplaces. Maternity leave applies only to the birth mothers.

Note: *We take care researching and sharing information, but legal rights change and we can’t be held responsible for errors or omissions. Please consult legal professionals for specific legal advice.

Workplace Leave For Illness & Emergency-Related Caring

For life’s emergencies, short and longer term, so you can be there when the unexpected happens.

Force majeure is perhaps the least known and most immediately available. It’s for those days when a child is sick in creche or an elderly parent falls unexpectedly. It’s paid. This is the only type of leaving that employers must currently cover*.

By comparison medical leave is unpaid, unless your employment contract states otherwise.

Photography of two people a middle-aged woman and an older man, perhaps her father man, who are seated and hugging leaning into each other. They look sad. There are 2 cups on the table in front of them. The setting is not a home. Perhaps they are in a hospital or respite care setting. The text overlay reads "Ireland's workplace leave rights - compassionate leave"
Photo of a young woman holding a toddler. A thermometer held by someone else is in the foreground. The text overlay reads "Irelands workplace leave rights serious medical leave".
Photography of a young child sitting up on an ambulance trolley beside an ambulance with two paramedics medics either side. The text overlay reads "force majeure leave"

To enable those working to provide critical support at important family juncture, Ireland provides temporary workplace leave option for caring.

Planned Workplace Leave for Caring

Photo of a woman placing a tray in front of an older woman. The setting is probably a home. The text overlay reads "carer's leave"
Photo of a child with a man kneeing in front of him. The two are holding hands and the school-aged boy has a backpack. They are outdoors, perhaps outside a school. There is a concrete flights of steps in the background. The text overlay reads "parental leave"

Workplace Leave To Care for New Children

Caring for your new children should be a joyous time as you welcome a new family member and get to know them. These options protect those precious early days.

Photo of a pregnant woman in a workplace setting. She is on the phone and making notes. There is also a laptop on the desk. The text overlay reads "maternity leave".
Photo of a young man snuggling a small baby. The text overlay reads "paternity leave".
Photo of two women, a couple?, holding a toddler. They are both smiling and focused on the baby. The text overlay reads "adoptive leave".
Adoptive leave, modelled on maternity leave, is available to the ‘nominated’ parent. A second parent can available of paternity leave.

Learn More About Your Workplace Leave Options For Caring

Citizen’s Information is a wonderful information source. Watch out for changes at budget and election time.

For Life’s Emergencies

For Longer Term Caring Needs

For New Parents