Be a workaholic ! ~ do you know about your Company's Leave Policy ?

Long before the invention and usage of templates – there were specialists who used to tutor writing a leave application -  ‘as I am suffering from fever’

People do stay away from work….. there are various types of leaves- generally it is believed that employees of Govt and PSU enjoy many types of leaves and in most Private companies, the leave is very restricted – even the available ones would lapse as bosses may not sanction leave and then leave balance could get truncated with the closure of year…………………  some types of Leave are : Casual leave; Earned Leave(Privilege leave) ; Sick leave; Maternity Leave, Paternity leave, Bereavement leave; leave for election duty; leave to appear as witness;   Additional Casual leave*  and more…..…..

·         Every year – all shops and establishments are required to give leave on important religious functions and days of National importance.  In some years, it could so happen that most of them fall under Sundays – in some Companies – the Additional Casual leave [ACL] is : the difference between the obligatory no. of days when leave ought to have been declared and the actual days on which leave was declared (excluding Sundays) – I have seen 11 days of ACL besides 15 days of CL in a particular year in PSU.  

There are people who casually and routinely absent themselves – some just cannot attend Office regularly… for justifying their absence and getting their leave sanctioned – people elaborate various reasons – from ‘simple headache; fever to death of some relative’……………. What is the leave for a sports person ?

Sunil Valson was part of the victorious 1983 WC Kapil Devils – he did not get to play a solitary game though.  Immediately on his return remember him playing at Marina in a First division match.  Similarly the player of the match in World T20 final and a World cup final played in the WBBL finals recently.  After performing at a very high level, she was playing at the domestic tournament too. 

The Melbourne Renegades captain Jess Duffin is one of the form players of the tournament making 500 runs at an average of 71.72 with five half-centuries including three in a row leading into the finals.  Duffin's sporting resume is quite remarkable. In an era where female cricketers are becoming national icons, Duffin appears, at times, to be persona non grata. In part, it is because her international cricket career came to a sudden halt four years ago and it came under a different name. Jess Cameron, as she was known prior to getting married, had a stellar international career for Australia. She has played in three World T20 triumphs for Australia and was player of the match in the 2012 final against England scoring 45 off 34 balls.

Of the many leaves available, Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.  Usually it is a paid-leave.  Unpaid parental leave too may be available only for the purpose of holding on the job. In 2014, the International Labour Organization reviewed parental leave policies in 185 countries and territories, and found that all countries except Papua New Guinea have laws mandating some form of parental leave.

In South Africa  - the law providing for paid parental leave for parents of new-born children, has come into being recently.  Under the law, all parents are entitled to 10 days’ paid parental leave when their children are born. This does not apply to mothers who have given birth, because they are already entitled to paid maternity leave. It covers fathers of new-born children and mothers of children born through surrogacy.  Parents will be entitled to take paid parental leave once a calendar year and will be required to apply for leave from their employer.

In 1980 in the Wimbledon finals, a good looking Chris Evert Lloyd played against  and lost to Evonne Goolagong Cawley.  Martina Navratilova was the defending champion, but lost to her rival Chris Evert Lloyd in the semifinals.  Cawley defeated Evert Lloyd in the final, 6–1, 7–6(7–4) to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title.  The second-set tiebreaker in the final was the first tiebreak ever played in the ladies singles final at Wimbledon and the match was the first ever singles final (men's or women's) to end on a tiebreak.

Goolagong realized during the 1976 US Open final that she was pregnant and did not play again on the regular tour until the late summer of 1977, continuing through to Wimbledon 1978. An ankle injury forced her to miss the remainder of 1978  and she did not return to competitive play until March 1979.  In 1980, She withdrew from the US Open where she had been seeded fourth, due to a recurring back injury and in the early stages of her second pregnancy. She came back to play and win Wimbledon title.  She is the only mother to have won the Wimbledon title since Dorothea Lambert Chambers in 1914.

Jess Duffin, the senior Australia cricketer, will become the first elite women's player to be covered under Cricket Australia's new policy on parental leave after announcing news of her pregnancy to the cricket board. The update also means that Duffin will not be in contention for a spot in the Australia team for the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup, starting February 2020. Although 30-year-old Duffin last represented Australia in 2015, she was named captain of the team of the season at the last WBBL after scoring 544 runs at an average of 68 for the Melbourne Renegades, making her a serious contender for a spot at the World Cup. Earlier this month, she had also turned down the opportunity to represent Australia A in their upcoming tour.

"I found out when I was about four weeks (pregnant)," Duffin told AAP. "I was pregnant through the whole Big Bash. When those conversations came up [in the media about Australia selection], I thought, 'well everyone is going to laugh when they find out'. Cricket Australia were obviously stoked, and were like 'we know now why you didn't play the Australia A stuff'." Under Cricket Australia's new policy - developed in conjunction with the players' association - Duffin will get a 12-month paid parental leave and have a confirmed contract for the next summer. Until she gives birth - in July 2020 - Duffin will also be able to take up non-playing roles within Cricket Australia's system, and is eligible to return to playing whenever she is ready. Duffin is a double-sport athlete who also represents North Melbourne in the AFLW (Australian Football League Women).

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

2^nd Jan 2020.