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The Government of India provides Sabbatical leave for women employees of Public Sector Banks to help them meet their special needs during their career. The Sabbatical Leave Scheme for women employees of the bank is provided to address their special problems during their careers. Women employees can request sabbatical leave for any purpose such as medical reasons, care of family members or children, higher studies, or visiting their spouse.
Who can apply for Sabbatical Leave?
The employee applying for sabbatical leave should have completed a minimum of 5 years of service. Sabbatical leave before completing 5 years of service will be granted only in exceptional cases and must be approved by the authority next above the competent authority as mentioned in the scheme. However, the following employees are not eligible for sabbatical leave:
- employees serving abroad under special arrangements or bonds,
- employees who have executed service bonds and have not completed them,
- employees against whom disciplinary proceedings are pending or who are under suspension,
- employees appointed on a contract basis, and
- any other category of employee as may be specified by the Board of Bank.
What is the duration of Sabbatical Leave?
The period of sabbatical leave shall be a maximum of 2 years during the entire career, and it must be taken for at least 3 months at a time. The leave cannot be taken more than once in a year.
Important Points of Sabbatical Leave
Only completed years of service will be counted to decide the minimum eligible service. A request for sabbatical leave will not take effect unless it is accepted in writing by the competent authority. The employee must apply for sabbatical leave at least 15 days before the intended start date. If the leave has already been sanctioned and the employee wants to withdraw it before starting, she must give at least 7 days’ notice.
If during the sabbatical leave there is a change in circumstances and the employee wants to withdraw or reduce the leave, this will be allowed only after completing a minimum period of 3 months of sabbatical leave, and a request must be submitted at least 15 days before resuming duty. During the sabbatical leave, the employee is not allowed to take up any other job, business, vocation, or profession.
Employees on sabbatical leave will not be allowed to take part in any promotion process during the leave period, even if they are otherwise eligible. The competent authority has full discretion to approve or reject the request for sabbatical leave based on the bank’s requirements, and the reasons for rejection must be recorded in writing. The decision on approval or rejection will be communicated in writing to the employee. If an employee is allowed to rejoin duty before the approved leave period ends, the leave already taken will still be treated only as sabbatical leave and will not be converted into any other type of leave.
Sabbatical leave will be entirely without pay, salary, allowances, or any monetary and non-monetary benefits, including seniority, promotion-related seniority, and retirement benefits. Facilities such as medical reimbursement and bank-leased accommodation will also not be available. The sabbatical leave period will not count for increments, pension qualification, or leave calculation. No increments will be earned during this period, and the employee will rejoin at the same pay stage as before the leave.
No leave of any kind will be credited during the sabbatical leave, and no other type of leave can be added before or after it. Official quarters or leased accommodation must be vacated before proceeding on leave. The employee must remain available as a witness in any investigation, court case, or departmental inquiry, and she will be paid TA and DA for attending such proceedings.
All interest-free loans and advances must be adjusted before proceeding on sabbatical leave. However, the sanctioning authority may allow the employee to proceed after taking a proper undertaking, if deemed necessary. If the outstanding PF and gratuity amount payable by the bank is higher than the outstanding balance in interest-bearing loans such as housing or vehicle loans, the authority may allow a moratorium on loan installments during the sabbatical leave period for a maximum of two years. After resuming duty, the loan repayment will be recalculated and paid in revised installments. No loan of any kind will be sanctioned during the sabbatical leave period.
