Leave Policy

Purpose

This policy outlines how leave is accrued, requested and taken at EnergyAE to support work–life balance while ensuring consistent project delivery for clients.

Entitlement

• Employees are entitled to 20 days (160 hours) of paid annual leave per year, accrued progressively from their first day of employment.
• Annual leave balances are shown in Xero and updated each pay cycle.

Public Holidays

• Employees are entitled to all official public holidays for the region in which they work.
• When an employee is rostered to work on a public holiday, they will be paid in accordance with relevant legislation.
• Public holidays do not reduce the annual leave balance.

Taking Leave

• Annual leave must be requested in advance through Xero, with:
  • 2–4 weeks’ notice for leave up to 5 days
  • 4–8 weeks’ notice for leave greater than one week
• Approval is subject to operational requirements, including project deadlines and ensuring adequate senior staff coverage.
• The company may decline or adjust leave timing if it would significantly impact project commitments.

Short-Notice Leave and Same-Day Absences

• Same-day or short-notice leave (including annual leave, LWOP, or personal leave for fatigue or non-urgent matters) must be discussed with and approved by the employee’s manager before the start of the workday wherever reasonably practicable.
• Where prior discussion is not possible, employees must notify their manager directly (not only via team chat) as early as possible.
• Short-notice leave is not automatically approved and will be considered based on operational requirements, including project deadlines and team coverage.

Christmas/New Year Closedown

• EnergyAE typically operates a year-end closedown period of 1–2 weeks.
• Employees are required to use annual leave during the closedown unless alternative arrangements are agreed.

Leave Carry-Over

• Employees may carry forward up to 20 days of unused annual leave.
• Balances above 20 days must be reduced by taking leave at an agreed time.
• Excess balances may be paid out only at the company’s discretion and are not an entitlement.

Cashing Out Leave

• Annual leave may be cashed out only in exceptional circumstances,
• Limited to one week per calendar year,
• Must be employee-initiated and is subject to Managing Director approval.

Leave Without Pay (LWOP)

• If an employee has insufficient annual leave, LWOP may be approved on a case-by-case basis.

  LWOP must be requested and approved in advance wherever reasonably practicable. Employees must not assume LWOP will be granted.

• Same-day LWOP requests will be assessed based on operational requirements and are not guaranteed approval.

• LWOP is generally limited to a maximum of one week per year unless exceptional circumstances apply.

Interaction with Sick Leave

• Sick leave is intended for situations where an employee is unwell or otherwise medically unfit for work.
• General tiredness, mild fatigue, or non-medical wellbeing needs will not normally qualify for sick leave and should be discussed with the manager as annual leave or LWOP where appropriate.
• Sick leave must not be substituted with annual leave unless expressly requested by the employee and approved by the company.
• Medical certificates may be required for absences of three or more consecutive days or where a pattern of short-term absences emerges.

Responsibilities

• Employees must plan leave early and submit requests promptly. Employees are expected to manage workload handovers appropriately and avoid avoidable short-notice absences where possible.
• Managers will consider leave requests fairly, balancing employee wellbeing and project delivery.
• EnergyAE reserves the right to update this policy to reflect legislative or operational changes.