Introduction
Expanding your business in Armenia can be a strategic move as it forms a unique link between the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union. However, compliance with local employment law, particularly leave policies, is crucial for smooth operations.
Armenia offers comprehensive leave benefits with generous paid time off for maternity, illness, and annual vacations.
Here, we'll delve into the essential details of leave policy in Armenia, empowering you to manage statutory leave benefits effectively and ensure a happy workforce.
Adoption Leave in Armenia
Armenia provides for adoption leave benefits in addition to generous maternity benefits. You may extend adoption leave in Armenia in two ways:
- Guardianship leave:
- New parents who adopt or become guardians of a newborn receive paid leave from the adoption/guardianship date until the baby is 70 days old.
- If adopting/becoming guardian of twins or multiples, adoption leave extends to 110 days.
- Birth mother leaves after surrogacy:
- A biological mother who delivers a child through surrogacy receives paid leave from the baby's birth date until the baby is 70 days old.
- If delivering twins or multiples, adoption leave extends to 110 days.
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Talk to an expertEarned Leave in Armenia
The minimum standards for earned leave in Armenia vary based on employee type and work week:
- Full-time employees with a five-day work week: 20 paid work days of annual leave.
- Full-time employees with a six-day work week: 24 paid work days of annual leave.
- Part-time and special employees: proportional to their work schedule.
You can offer additional leave beyond the minimum based on individual contracts, collective agreements, or legal acts.
Maternity Leave in Armenia
The official leave policy in Armenia prescribes generous support to working mothers during pregnancy and maternity. You may take inspiration from maternity leaves around the world and extend the following statutory benefits:
- Duration: Minimum 140 calendar days (paid), divided into,
- 70 days of prenatal leave
- 70 days postnatal leave
- Extensions: In cases of medical complications,
- Hard delivery: 155 days (70 prenatal + 85 postnatal)
- Multiple births: 180 days (70 prenatal + 110 postnatal)
- Pay: 100% of insured average monthly earnings, borne directly by the employer.
- You cannot terminate employment during the leave period and until one month after the end of maternity leave in Armenia.
Parental Leave in Armenia
Armenia recognizes employees’ legal right to parental leave and extends the following provisions:
- Duration: Up to three years before the child turns three.
- Flexibility: One continuous period or divided parts throughout the leave window.
- Who can take it: You may grant parental leave in Armenia to the mother, father, or other eligible caregiver.
- The official policy prescribes parental leave as unpaid.
Paternity Leave in Armenia
- You may grant up to two months of unpaid paternity leave to eligible employees.
- The paternity leave in Armenia is valid during pregnancy and maternity leave, as well as until the child turns one.
Public Holidays in Armenia
You must observe the following public holidays every year in addition to mandatory weekly rest days:
The leave policy in Armenia provides extended weekends with non-working days before or after the main public holiday.
Sick Leave Policy in Armenia
You are required to plan a comprehensive sick leave policy in Armenia based on the following statutory requirements:
- Duration: Grant up to 120 successive days or a total of 140 days within 12 months.
- Pay: You must pay 80% of your average monthly earnings in the first five days. Social security covers sick leave pay from the sixth day onwards.
- Job Security: You cannot terminate the employment during the mandated sick leave.
Casual leave in Armenia
The labor law extends no legal right to casual leave in Armenia. However, you can offer specific options that fulfill similar needs while negotiating employment contracts.
Unpaid Leave in Armenia
The national leave policy in Armenia recognizes the following special unpaid leave:
- Disability or family member's illness: Up to 30 days per year
- Marriage: Three workdays
- Attending funeral: Minimum of three days of bereavement leave
Additional leaves may be extended to 60 days per year through collective agreements or negotiations in the employment contracts.
Other leaves
The national labor laws require you to include the following benefits to your leave policy in Armenia:
- Study leave: You may be extended in phases
- Exam Preparation: Up to three workdays
- Coursework: Up to two work days per credit test and as many days as the curriculum requires for laboratory work.
- Graduation: 30 work days to prepare and defend a graduation paper. Further, six work days to prepare for and take each final (state) graduation exam.
Learn more about sabbatical leave and standard practices followed in other countries.
- Service leave: Employees are excused from work and retain their job (position) when:
- Voting: Exercising their right to vote.
- Legal Matters: Appearing as a witness, victim, expert, professional, or translator at the request of legal authorities.
- Employee Representation: Representing employees in legal proceedings.
- Blood Donation: Fulfilling obligations as a blood donor.
- Volunteering for National Defense: Participating (voluntarily) in military operations to defend Armenia or allied countries.
Easily Navigate the Leave Policy in Armenia with Skuad
Skuad simplifies leave management for HR teams in over 160 countries, including Armenia. With Skuad, you can easily configure policies for leave, track employee leave balances, and automate leave approvals.
Skuad's unified platform also helps you efficiently onboard new hires and administer employee benefits securely. With SKuad, you can forget about payroll hassles or complying with complex employment laws — we take care of everything for you so you can focus on growing your business.
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FAQs
Q1. How many vacation days are in Armenia?
A1. While the exact number of vacation days in Armenia depends on employees’ workweek, you may extend a minimum of 20 - 24 paid vacation days for full-time employees in a standard five-day or six-day workweek, respectively.
Q2. What is the notice period in Armenia?
A2. Employees give one month's written notice. Employers give varying notice depending on the reason for termination, with a minimum of 14 days for less than a year of service and up to 60 days for over 15 years.
Q3. What are the working conditions in Armenia?
A3. Armenia labor law prescribes a 40-hour workweek with overtime limitations. Paid annual leave starts at 20-24 days, depending on the workweek, and there's extensive leave for maternity, illness, childcare, and education. Additionally, employees are protected from unfair dismissals.
Q4. How long is maternity paid leave in Armenia?
A4. Paid maternity leave in Armenia can extend to 180 days based on medical complications.