WORKER WEDNESDAY: What are the rules around unpaid leave, resignation, and termination?

Unpaid, job-protected leave.
Employees are eligible for most unpaid leaves after 90 days of employment. The following outlines the maximum length for each unpaid job-protected leave available to employees in Alberta:

1. Maternity leave:                                                16 weeks
2. Parental leave:                                                  62 weeks
3. Reservist leave:                                                 as needed
4. Compassionate care leave:                               27 weeks per year
5. Bereavement leave:                                          3 days per year
6. Domestic violence leave:                                  10 days per year
7. Citizenship ceremony leave:                             half day – once in a lifetime
8. Critical illness leave:                                         36 weeks for a child / 16 weeks for an adult
9. Long-term illness and injury leave:                   16 weeks per year
10. Personal / Family responsibility leave:              5 days per year
11. Death or disappearance of a child:                   52 weeks or 104 weeks

How much notice is needed if an employee quits?
An employee’s requirement to provide written notice to an employer depends on their length of employment:

1. 90 days or less:                                                  no requirement
2. Between 91 days and < 2 years:                       1 week notice
3. 2 years or more:                                                 2 weeks’ notice

How much notice is needed if an employee is let go?
An employer’s requirement to provide written notice to an employee depends on the length of employment:

1. Dismissal for just cause:                                    no requirement
2. 90 days or less:                                                  no requirement
3. Between 91 days and < 2 years:                       1 week notice
4. Between 2 and < 4 years:                                  2 weeks’ notice
5. Between 4 and < 6 years:                                  4 weeks’ notice
6. Between 6 and < 8 years:                                  5 weeks’ notice
7. Between 8 and < 10 years:                                6 weeks’ notice
8. 10 years or more:                                               8 weeks’ notice

If an employer wants an employee to leave right away, instead of written notice, they can pay the employee what they would have earned had they worked for the full notice period.
If you have further questions about these standards, you can call the Alberta Employment Standards office toll-free at 1-877-427-3731. You should also visit the website http://alberta.ca/ESchanges for complete information. Next week’s Worker Wednesday will cover the laws surrounding youth employment.