Career break arrangements letter
- Customisable to your needs
- Quick and easy to complete
- Keep clear HR records
A career break is a period of unpaid leave taken by a staff member over and above their normal holiday leave allowance. A career break arrangements letter is a letter approving a request for a career break by an employee and setting out the terms applicable to it.
Use this letter to agree to a career break request from a staff member who is an employee. It can be used whatever the reason for their request is and is intended to be used in conjunction with your business’ career break policy, if you have one. This letter includes an option to warn your staff member that the same role may not be available to them when they return.
Q&A
When should I use this document?
You should use this letter if you have received a request from an employee to take a career break and you wish to accept it. It is customisable for your business and it will help you to set out the agreed terms of their period of unpaid leave.
What does this document cover?
This document is customisable to allow you to set out the agreed terms of your employee’s career break, including:
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When the request was made;
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How long the break will last for, including the start and end dates; and
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Whether your employee will be entitled to return to the same role at the end of their career break. If you cannot guarantee that this will be the case, you have the option to warn your staff member that they same role may not be available.
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Why do I need this document?
You are under no general legal obligation to approve requests for career breaks from employees, but if you do, it is best practice to record the agreed terms of the break in writing. This will provide both you and your employee with certainty around what rights they are entitled to while they are away from work, arrangements for their return and any other applicable conditions.
Where can I find out more?
For more information about career breaks and other forms of unpaid leave, see our Q&A on career breaks and unpaid leave. This includes guidance about what a career break policy should say.
For a template annual leave policy, which includes an optional career break policy, you can use our template Staff handbook and policies. You can use this to produce either an entire staff handbook, or individual policies for your purposes.
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