Leave Policy in Turkey

Adoption Leave in Turkey

Under the labor law, employees are entitled to three days of paid adoption leave in Turkey.

Earned Leave in Turkey

• The labor laws stipulate that individuals who have been employed for at least one year, including any trial period, are eligible for annual paid leave or earned leave in Turkey.
• The duration of the earned leave in Turkey is determined based on the length of service at a workplace. 

• Additionally, employees under 18 or above 50 get 20 working days off, regardless of how long they have been working. 
• Sometimes, the employment contract can allow employees to take paid leave during their first year of employment. 
• If an employee takes leave in their first year, they're confirming they have the right to all their earned leave for that year, even if it's not in the contract.

Maternity Leave in Turkey

• Maternity leave in Turkey usually lasts for 16 weeks in total.
• It is generally divided into eight weeks of paid leave before birth and eight weeks after birth.
• Female employees also have the flexibility to continue working until three weeks before the due date. In this case, the remaining leave period is moved to after the birth.
• In situations involving multiple or complicated pregnancies, maternity leave can be extended to a total of 18 weeks.

Parental Leave in Turkey

• If both parents are employed, they can choose to work fewer hours or part-time until their child goes to primary school.
• However, to get these leaves, employees need to inform their employer in writing at least a month before they wish to start working part-time. 
• Additionally, parents are granted ten days of leave to go to medical appointments or treatments with their child if the child is disabled or suffers from chronic illness. 
• Upon the request of a female employee, Turkish law allows for unpaid leave for up to six months following the end of their maternity leave.
• It is important to note that this period of parental leave in Turkey is not counted when calculating the employee’s length of service for entitlement to paid annual leave.

Paternity Leave in Turkey

• Under the employment laws, fathers/partners get five days of paid paternity leave in Turkey following the birth of a child.

Public Holidays in Turkey

• Employees are granted 15.5 public holidays in Turkey. They include,

• If, in any year, a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following day (Monday) is automatically considered to be a non-working day.

Sick Leave Policy in Turkey

• While it's not mandatory for you as employers to pay employees during sick leave, it's a common practice to provide regular wages for the first two days of sick leave.
• After three days of sickness, employees must provide medical reports to support their leaves. They may receive reimbursement from Social Security.
• You can pay employees their full wages during sick leave. If they've contributed, Social Security might partially reimburse them later.
• Additionally, under the sick leave policy in Turkey, if any individual is absent due to sickness for more than the notice period set by labor law (usually six weeks), their employment contract may be terminated without notice. 

Casual Leave in Turkey

• There are currently no provisions for casual leave in Turkey.

Unpaid Leave in Turkey

Unpaid leave may be granted for various reasons, such as personal reasons, health issues, or other circumstances. The duration and conditions of unpaid leave may vary depending on the specific circumstances and the agreement between the employer and the employee. 

Other Leaves

Here are some additional leaves that you have to provide to your employees in Turkey:

Marriage leave

• You must provide employees with three days of statutory paid wedding leave. 

Bereavement leave

• If a close family member passes away, employees are entitled to three days of paid bereavement leave in Turkey.

Military leave

• It is a provision wherein employees are entitled to take time off from work with pay for up to 90 days if they are summoned for military exercises or other official duties required by law, excluding compulsory military services.

Sabbatical leave

Currently, there are no provisions for sabbatical leave in Turkey.

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FAQs

Q1: How many vacation days do you get in Turkey?

Ans: The total number of paid vacation days per year granted to employees usually varies depending on their tenure of service. For example, individuals who have worked for one to five years are entitled to 14 days of earned leave in Turkey. 

Q2: What is the notice period in Turkey?

Ans: Like vacation leave, the notice period differs based on an individual's length of employment. It usually ranges from two to eight weeks. 

Q3: What is the standard workweek in Turkey?

Ans: The standard working week in Turkey is Monday to Friday, totaling 45 hours. 

Q4: What are the maximum working hours in Turkey?

Ans: The maximum regular working hours in Turkey consist of 45 hours per week.