Employees are entitled to be allowed to attend to what may be described as family emergencies involving their dependants during working hours.
An employee is obligated to inform the employer why they need the time off and how long they are likely to away from work. They are also obligated to keep the employer regularly updated.
The amount of time off to be granted by the employer is that which is reasonable in the circumstances. There is currently no statutory right to be paid for the time off under this heading.
Employees who are unreasonably refused the time off requested may bring a claim before an Employment Tribunal to obtain a remedy.