Unfortunately, life can present us with crises and unforeseen circumstances which necessitate time away from work. Many people are left with little choice but to use their Annual Leave or take leave without pay, as the traumatic event may not ‘fit’ into the standard leave categories (i.e., Sick Leave, Bereavement / Compassionate Leave, or Carer’s Leave). We do it differently at Feros Care by offering additional leave entitlements above and beyond ‘the norm’, such as Natural Disaster Leave and Family and Domestic Violence Leave.
Natural Disaster Leave enables staff involved in emergency situations like floods, storms, and fires to put their safety first, without worrying about work. Similarly, to protect Feros employees subjected to domestic violence, we provide Family and Domestic Violence Leave. Supporting our team in times of need and ensuring they are safe is always our top priority. This is echoed in the Feros Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and the larger-scale Workplace Wellbeing Strategy. Nurturing physical, mental, social, and financial wellbeing ensures the heartbeat of our organisation – our incredible team – remains strong, healthy and happy.
Natural Disaster Leave
Occasionally, Mother Nature unleashes unpredictable and dangerous weather conditions so extreme they trigger a natural disaster. Most notably, these include storms, floods, and fires, which can leave people traumatised, unable to work due to lack of access and/or safety concerns, fearing for the wellbeing of loved ones, and facing overwhelming recovery efforts. Needing time away from work to navigate these unavoidable situations, victims of natural disasters are often left with no choice but to take annual leave.
At Feros Care, we understand these events are out of your control and have built Natural Disaster Leave into our leave allocation framework. This means all employees are entitled to additional days beyond the standard leave allowances, to help minimise physical, mental and emotional distress.
Family & Domestic Violence Leave
Family and domestic violence includes physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, social, spiritual and economic mistreatment. Domestic violence is any of these types of abuse committed by someone in the victim’s domestic circle, whereas family violence is perpetrated by one family member against another. To help protect and support Feros Care employees subjected to either form of abuse, we provide Family and Domestic Violence Leave. This is in addition to other leave allowances, helping victims cope with and/or escape dangerous predicaments without having to use their annual leave.
Family and Domestic Violence Leave has been an invaluable lifeline for certain members of our amazing team. “I recently left an abusive relationship, needing to leave work at sporadic times to deal with the escalating situation, attend court and care for myself and son. I felt safe enough to disclose to my manager what was going on and she was nothing but supportive. I took the available leave as needed without worrying that it would affect my standing at work. During that time work became a breathing space for me, where I could focus on work, feel safe and work in my supportive team”.
