Need advice from HR professionals regarding final pay and unused leave credits
My friend recently resigned and is waiting for her final pay. She was employed for around 5 months and was still under probationary status according to HR. However, the company policy states that employees become eligible for leave credits after 6 months.
Here’s where it gets confusing: last March, she was able to use leave credits when she traveled out of the country, and HR approved it. This means they already recognized that she was entitled to leave benefits.
Now that her final pay breakdown was released, the cash conversion for her remaining 5 unused leave credits was not included. When she asked HR, they said it was because she resigned before regularization.
She also mentioned that she never received an employment contract, so there was no clear written explanation of the leave conversion policy.
Our concern is: if they already allowed her to use leave credits before, can they now deny the remaining unused leave credits just because she was not yet regularized?
Can she raise this through DOLE/SEnA as a money claim for unpaid final pay and leave conversion?
Would really appreciate insights from HR professionals or anyone who has handled a similar case.