Any leave you take will be considered a full-day’s leave, even if it is taken on a half working day.
However, your employer can choose to treat it as a half-day’s leave. Check with your employer on whether it is the company's policy to grant a full day or half day of leave.
Your working hours on Saturdays are 9am to 1pm. If you take leave on a Saturday, it is still counted as a full day of leave.
If you are covered under Part IV of the Employment Act (i.e. a workman earning a monthly basic salary of $4,500 or less, or non-workman earning a monthly basic salary of $2,600 or less), your employer must allow you to carry forward any unused annual leave to the next 12 months.
Note: If the number of days of unused annual leave exceeds the statutory entitlements, you should check your employment contract on how such leave should be treated. This includes whether it can be encashed, carried forward or forfeited.
You were entitled to 7 days of annual leave from January to December 2018. Any unused annual leave entitlement from January to December 2018 must be carried forward to 2019. If the unused annual leave entitlement from 2018 is not used by 31 December 2019, it can be forfeited.
If you are not covered under Part IV of the Employment Act, your annual leave entitlement must be used within 12 months. You should check your employment contract on how such unused annual leave should be treated. This includes whether it can be encashed, carried forward or forfeited.
You were entitled to 7 days of annual leave from January to December 2018. Any unused annual leave entitlement from January to December 2018, cannot be carried forward to 2019. It can be forfeited unless your employment contract provides otherwise.
Other scenarios where unused annual leave can be forfeited
Your statutory annual leave entitlement can also be forfeited if you:
- Are absent from work without permission or reasonable excuse for more than 20% of the working days in the months or year.
- Are dismissed on the grounds of misconduct.
You can apply for unpaid leave (also known as no-pay leave) if you are not eligible for paid annual leave or have used up your paid annual leave. Unpaid leave is subject to approval from your employer.
If you take more paid annual leave than you are entitled to, the excess leave is treated as unpaid leave, and your employer can deduct your salary accordingly. Your employer should therefore keep a record of all your leave applications, whether paid or unpaid.
If you work shifts that are longer than 8 hours, 1 day of annual leave is equivalent to your actual working day.
For example, if you work a 12-hour shift, 1 day of leave is equivalent to 12 hours.
There is no statutory entitlement for marriage and compassionate leave. Such leave entitlements depend on your employment contract or on mutual agreement between you and your employer.
You can apply for annual leave or unpaid leave for such purposes.
If you were absent from work for more than 2 working days continuously without approval, you have breached the contract. You must pay salary in-lieu of notice to your employer. Your employer is not required to encash your annual leave.