Work Breaks and Leave

This section links to employee rights articles regarding work breaks and work leave, such as sick leave, vacation, family and medical leave, paid time off (PTO) and rest, bathroom, smoke and lunch breaks.

Work Breaks and Leave Topics

Bereavement Leave
Discover if your employee rights entitle you to take time off from work to attend visitations, wakes or funerals. Also called funeral leave.

Family and Medical Leave
About the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which entitles eligible employees to take job-protected work leave for the birth or adoption of children, or to care for themselves or qualified family members. Qualified family members include those who are on active military duty and now, also includes those who are involved in same-sex marriages legalized by the states.

Leave of Absence
Find out if your employee rights entitle you to take a medical leave of absence or personal leave of absence from work. Mentions work leave as a result of crimes or domestic violence, under state laws.

Paid Time Off (PTO)
About paid time off or PTO for short. PTO leave includes vacation leave, sick leave and personal days.

Sick Leave
Learn whether or not your employee rights entitle you to take sick leave from work, either with or without sick pay.

Vacation Leave
General information regarding employee vacation leave benefits, under state and Federal laws. Includes accrued vacation pay.

Work Breaks and Meal Breaks
Work breaks include what are referred to as rest, coffee, bathroom, restroom, toilet, snack or smoke breaks. Meal breaks include dinner and lunch breaks. Discover why some employers are so stingy with them.

Topics Related to Work Breaks and Leave

Click on a link below to display the related topic indicated. Click on the to display the section from which the related topic originates.

Family Responsibility Discrimination
Family responsibility discrimination (FRD) is employment discrimination against employees because they are caregivers, such as during family and medical leave. Learn more about FRD and how you can gain relief.

Legal Holidays
Legal holidays explained in terms of work leave, plus a list of legal holidays designated as such by Federal law. Also referred to as legal paid holidays and legal public holidays.

Paid Holiday Leave
Federal workers are entitled to paid holiday leave under a "holiday law", but there is no such law for private-sector workers. Learn more.

For more topics related to sick and medical work leave, see Disability. Topics include disability leave benefits provided by Social Security, some states and workers' compensation ("workers comp").