by Breda O'Malley , Ciaran Doyle November-15-2023 in Employment Law
The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (the “Minister”) recently announced that the provisions of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 (the “Act”) relating to domestic violence leave will commence on Monday, 27 November 2023.
Once commenced, employees will be allowed to take up to five days’ fully paid leave within any period of 12 consecutive months. It will apply to employees who have in the past experienced, or are currently experiencing, domestic violence. There is no minimum service requirement under the Act. The purpose of the leave is to enable the employee to:-
- seek medical attention;
- obtain services from a victim services organisation;
- obtain psychological or other professional counselling;
- relocate temporarily or permanently;
- obtain an order under the Domestic Violence Act 2018;
- seek legal advice;
- seek Garda assistance;
- seek or obtain any other relevant services.
Importantly, employees are not required to provide any evidence to support their leave. The decision not to require supporting evidence was made to make paid domestic violence more accessible for employees.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, in cooperation with Women’s Aid, has published a Policy Template of Workplace Supports for Employees Affected by Domestic Violence and Abuse and an accompanying Guidance Note (available here).
For further information, please refer to our earlier article from August 2023 (available here).
Please contact Breda O’Malley (Partner), Anne Lyne (Partner), or your usual contact in Hayes solicitors LLP, for assistance with queries relating to domestic violence leave.
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About the Authors
Breda O'Malley
Breda practises in both Employment and Commercial Law and is Partner and Head of the Employment Law team at Hayes solicitors. Breda has trained and qualified as a mediator with the UK based, internationally renowned Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR). Breda practices as a mediator of commercial, employment, boardroom, charity trustee and shareholder disputes.
Ciaran Doyle
Ciarán is a solicitor on the Employment team at Hayes solicitors. He advises international and indigenous organisations as well as senior executives in diverse sectors on all aspects of employment law.