Taking long term leave

If you know you will be taking more than two weeks away from work, you may find it useful to:

• discuss how your leave will be managed with your line manager
• have a handover plan so your work is covered
• understand how your leave, pension and other benefits may be affected

This guidance has been written for employees who are taking family leave, but it is also relevant if you are taking another kind of long term leave, including:

• career breaks
• a reservist called into full time service
• time off to recover from a medical procedure

Planning long term leave

Managing a longer period of leave has an impact on employees as individuals, the team they work in and service delivery. Both line managers and employees have an important part to play to:

• prepare for leave
• agree how to keep connected while the leave is taking place
• support a smooth return to work

Whatever the situation, it’s important to have regular conversations before, during and after a long period of leave, so everyone has a positive and productive experience.

You can find out more in our guide to help employees and line managers discuss and plan long term leave (PDF,131KB). 

Handing over your work

Before you start your period of long-term leave, you and your manager will also need to think about the work to be covered whilst you are off.

You can find out how to create a handover plan (PDF,86KB), which is a good way of detailing all the relevant information in one place.

How taking long term family leave will affect your benefits

If you are going on adoption, maternity or shared parental leave, it’s important to understand how your benefits will be impacted so that you can choose what, if any, action to take.

You can find out more in our guidance about how your benefits while on long term leave.