Personal leave

At dxw, we care about the well-being of our team members. That’s why we’ve created a new leave type, separate from holiday and sick leave, called Personal Leave, to provide further support and flexibility to employees. This section outlines how the leave can be used and how the leave type works.

The basics #

We appreciate that there are sometimes some grey areas around certain leave types not falling under standard sickness or holiday. 

To help better support dxw employees, we offer up to two weeks (10 days) of paid Personal leave. The leave can be used for various reasons and is requested via the Personal leave form detailed below. Personal leave will be recorded separately from your holiday and sickness allowances.

Getting support #

Within any rolling 12-month period, a person can receive up to two weeks (10 days) of Personal leave. Personal leave is paid leave and can be used in a two-week block or on a more ad-hoc basis where needed. 

This is pro-rated for staff who work non-standard working patterns. The pro-rated amount is calculated based on the number of days that you work per week.

We have identified, at least initially, 8 ways that leave can be used:

• Gender transition
• Disability - The definition is set out in section 6 of the Equality Act 2010 which says you’re disabled if: you have a physical or mental impairment. Your impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to do normal day-to-day activities. 
• Fertility treatment
• Pregnancy loss
• Surgery - pre and post-operative 
• Menopause
• Pregnancy-related sickness
• Caring responsibilities

Iterations to this leave type may be made in the future. The above examples act as a guide but do not represent an exhaustive list of reasons for requesting Personal leave. You can still apply for Personal leave via the Personal leave form if the above reasons do not cover your request. 

All decisions will be made by a member of the senior leadership team, in most cases, this will be your business unit director. Our aim is to ensure that we’re treating everyone fairly and consistently while being aware of our financial requirements.

How to apply #

1. Complete the Google Form #

To request Personal leave, please fill out this Google form. Please provide as much detail as possible. If you feel comfortable, let your line manager know you are requesting the leave in advance of submitting the form, where possible.

All information you provide will be considered confidential and will only be seen by your line manager, business unit director and the People team. Your submitted information will not be included in your BreatheHR record if you request it not to be. You will be given this option on the form.

2. Specify the Number of Days Requested #

Please indicate whether you require full days or half days for your Personal leave, and specify the number of days needed. Please note that a separate form is required for each Personal leave request.

3. Submission and Review #

After completing the form, please submit it. The People team will receive it initially. It will then need to be considered for approval by your business unit director. The People team will confirm within 7 calendar days if your request has been approved. 

We understand that on some occasions, you may need to take leave suddenly, and filling out the form beforehand or during your absence might not be possible. In such cases, be sure to inform your line manager/business unit director/the People team about your leave and complete the form in retrospect when you return to work.

For all Personal leave requests, your BreatheHR record will be updated to reflect the leave following your request, with or without details based on your preferences stated in the form.

There may be occasions where we require more detail on your request. We aim to keep this to a minimum and will inform you as soon as possible where that’s the case. If you have any questions related to Personal Leave, please contact the People team.

Last updated: 8 March 2024 (history)