Leave of Absence – What Businesses Need to Know – Employment Standards Act

Leave of absence

Under the Employment Standards Act, eligible employees are entitled to several types of unpaid, job-protected leaves of absence.

If you are protected by the Employment Standards Act, you may have the right to take unpaid time off from work for the following types of leave: pregnancy, parental, personal emergency, family caregiver, family medical, critically ill child care, organ donor, reservist, and crime-related child death or disappearance leave. You may be eligible whether you are a full-time, part-time, permanent or a term contract employee.

Employees cannot be terminated for asking for or taking these leaves of absence. To learn more about the various types of leaves of absence, visit Ontario.ca/ESAguide.