Medical experts usually say the average person can live for 4 to 6 weeks without food. The amount of time someone can go without water is much shorter, roughly a week (or less).
Your employer can force you to take leave at a particular time as long as they give you at least two weeks' notice. However, it is common for employer and employee to come to an agreement about the timing of annual leave. If you put in a request for leave, your employer has to have a good reason to refuse it.
Employers with at least 50 employees must give eligible employees up to 12 weeks off in a 12-month period for these reasons: 1  for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child. 2  for the employeeâs own serious health condition, or. 3  to care for a family member with a serious health condition.