Did you know that there are over 13 types of leaves in the business world?Whether you are an employer or an employee, the below list will help you understand them all and make use of the ones offered at your workplace. 

Sick leave/Casual leave 

An employee can call in sick and take the day off by applying for this type of leave.Prior intimation for the same differs in organizations due to their HR policies.Also called casual leave by certain companies, it can also be availed for other personal reasons without furnishing any medical certificate.However, employees may have to add a note reasoning their leave request.The number of days granted in this category varies from state to state. 

Privilege leave 

Employees commonly become eligible for privilege leaves after they complete certain number of days of continuous service or post their probation period. This timeframe differs as per the company policies.It is generally around 12-15 days in a calendar year. Unconsumed leaves can either be encashed or carried forward at the end of a year. 

Medical leave 

Approved on the submission of a valid medical certificate, this type of leave does not mandate employees to inform the manager beforehand.They are granted when a worker gets injured in an accident or due to other medical reasons.Around 3-8 days are usually provided. 

Maternity leave 

Female employees who have been working with the company for a specific number of days are eligible for a paid maternity leave.This extends for nearly 3-4 months depending on the HR policies. 

Paternity leave 

Granted to the male employees who are soon to become fathers, paternity leaves aren’t provided at every company.Organizations that do, need the employees to apply for the same before or immediately after the child is born. The duration differs at each company.  

Bereavement/Compassionate leave 

It often takes time to recover from the death of a family member.As such, this type of leave is granted for employees to mourn the tragedy.Some companies replace the term ‘bereavement’ with ‘compassionate’ and offer leaves to accommodate ill health/urgent care/medical emergency of the employee’s immediate family members.

Compensatory leave 

It isn’t uncommon for employees to work on non-working days to complete their work or do extra work.Compensatory leaves or comp-offs are provided to such workers with additional leaves to appreciate their work.  

Floater leave 

Certain religious festivals & occasions are not marked as leaves for employees.However, workers can choose to take the day off by applying for a floater leave, usually granted 2 in a year.Though most companies offer this type of leave, employees can select their preferred day only from a list of festivals and cultural events curated by organizations. 

National holidays 

Otherwise called public holidays, national holidays are the type of leaves mandated by the government of a country.In India, Independence Day, Republic Day, some religious festivals and birth/death days of certain famous personalities are declared holidays for every citizen.  

Marriage leave 

Employees can take about 5-10 days of leave, as per the company’s policies, only on the occasion of their wedding.It is given to the employees upon submission of their wedding invitation cards and typically for one marriage only during his tenure.  

Sabbatical leave 

A long term (generally for months) unpaid leave, a sabbatical can be taken for multiple reasons.Be it for a career break, family crisis, education or to simply relax, this type of leave needs prior intimation and approval from the concerned superiors.During this time, the person still remains a part of the company without the risk of termination.It helps employees upskill and recommit to their work to contribute better to the organization.Some companies need employees to be working with them for a specific number of years to be eligible to apply for a sabbatical.  

Unpaid leave 

This refers to the leave taken after consumption of all available leaves.Employees can usually apply for any number of day-offs but with loss of pay.The money amounting to the number of leaves is deducted from the salary at the month-end.  

Other special leaves 

Some progressing companies also offer additional leaves for special occasions like an employee’s birthday, joining day, marriage anniversary, graduation or others.This is to allow workers to celebrate their important events without worrying about loss of pay.