ABSTRACT
In some circumstances, an employee has the right to time off work in order to attend to other duties. These ‘other duties’ fall into a number of categories. In this chapter we consider those circumstances in which an employee has the right to be absent from their duties in the workplace to act as a ‘good citizen’ – generally as some sort of representative. In succeeding chapters we will consider other valid reasons for absence from work.
By ‘absence from work for the purposes of acting as a good citizen’ we do not necessarily mean absence from the workplace. Sometimes, you yourself may ask an employee to take on certain duties which involve some potential conflict with a number of your other interests.
Consider, for example, the role of a health and safety adviser. All health and safety advisers, as managers, find themselves coming into conflict with other managers when their aims and interests do not coincide.
