Often, employers feel that paying employees for their time-offs is a cumbersome and unnecessary process. However, that is not the case. Your leave policy is a crucial detriment to how attractive you look like a potential employer to the candidate, amongst many other things. Not only that, a crystal clear leave of absence policy ensures that there is no miscommunication with regards to employee’s leave request right from the get-go.

In this article, we will discuss the leave of absence, the differences between unpaid leave vs leave of absence, templates and examples, and much more. Consider this a complete guide to all your doubts and delusions about leave of absence from work.

What is Leave of Absence?

A couple of questions that come up when discussing leave of absence are – what does leave of absence mean? Is it an ordinary leave, or does it mean something else? Is it paid or unpaid?

Leave of absence from work, to put it simply, is extended time off from work, for personal or other reasons. It is often penned in an agreement between the employer and the employee, wherein all the do’s and don’ts are listed. Whether or not employee benefits continue for an employee going on a leave of absence depends upon this agreement.

While the company policies define leave of absence from work, there are certain ones that the organization is mandatorily required to give under certain acts or the law of the land.

For instance, if the employee is bound to fulfil a military commitment, is suffering from a certain medical condition, birth or adoption of a child, or more.

Leave of absence at work can be paid or unpaid.

What is Paid Leave of Absence?

Paid leave is the most popular leave of absence from work. Also known as earned leave, paid leave of absence is earned by working stipulated hours or weeks a year. It is also known as PTO or paid time off and can be either personal leave or medical leave from work. Following are the most popular types of paid leave of absence from work:

Sick Leave

This leave is utilized when the employee or someone in the family is sick and needs care, and a medical leave from work is required.

Parental Leave

This form of paid leave is a matter of debate. While some organizations are opening up to the fact and giving parental leave in addition to maternity leave, some are not yet up to it. Either way, whether or not it forms a part of an employee’s leaves from work depends on the organization’s policy and the leave of absence agreement.

Leave Under the Family Medical Leave Act

If an employee has been working at the organization for a year and has worked for at least 2040 hours, they can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leaves, for self-care or that of a family member. Under the Family Medical Leave Act, leaves include serious health conditions, childbirth, adoption, foster care, and the likes.

Vacation

Employees can also accumulate paid time off or paid leave of absence to later utilize in the form of vacations. While this is not a stated fact in an organization’s agreement, most companies do allow this.

Those, as mentioned above, are some of the most common forms of paid leave of absence. However, there are certain federal leaves, such as jury day, voting day, and more. These depend on state laws.

What is an Unpaid Leave of Absence?

Whichever leave of absence doesn’t come under the paid category, automatically falls under the unpaid category. This usually depends upon the organization’s policy. Employees often request an unpaid leave of absence from work based on a ‘reasonable understanding’ between them and the employer.

The term ‘reasonable understanding’ is a precarious one and can differ as per the organization and the circumstances. While paid leave of absence is usually documented and known, an unpaid one is not and thus can form grounds for confusion and dissent. However, the organization can have a few ground rules for the same in its policy to avoid miscommunication.

Employee Rights Before Claiming Paid or Unpaid Leave of Absence

A defined and detailed leave of absence policy is a good thing, but a few leaves that the employee can avail virtue of a federal right. Similarly, the organization needs to know about these leaves to incorporate these in their policy. Take a look at the following, for instance:

Bereavement Leave

Also known as funeral time leave, bereavement leave is what the employees avail to grieve the death of a near and dear one. You can read more about bereavement leave here.

Military Leave

As the name suggests, the ones who serve in the military take this leave of absence of work, whether active or inactive. The organization has to offer the original position and package to the employee after completing the military time if the employee takes this leave of absence.

Holiday Pay

Employees receive holiday pay when they work during holidays, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and more. The state laws list these holidays and charts out separate policies so that the employees are aware of their compensatory rights.

Jury Time

This is basically when the employee has to serve jury duty service. The original state law policy decides whether the leave is paid or unpaid.

Sabbatical

No, not the literal one. Academicians, students and the likes avail a sabbatical for furthering their research and studies. Learn more about sabbatical leaves here.

Some leaves that are still debatable are adverse weather leaves and even religious observances. However, it is manageable, depending on the organizational policies and the understanding between the manager and subordinate.

Leave of Absence Letter Samples

Although it is for employees’ reference, having leave of absence letter samples handy can also help the human resource department in guiding new employees through the process. Believe it or not, many people cannot write crisp and professional requests. This is also a reason for leave rejection. Here is what to include while writing this letter:

  • Reason for leave
  • The dates of leave
  • The steps to take so that the work does not suffer
  • Request for the manager’s assistance, in case the letter needs to undergo multiple levels of approvals

Following are the components of a good leave of absence letter.

  • Address of the sender
  • Date of the letter
  • The subject of the letter
  • Salutation
  • An opening paragraph that states the reason for the leave of absence request
  • A body which explains the need for the leave
  • The final paragraph which covers how to cover the employee’s leave so that the work does not suffer
  • Closing paragraph to thank the employer and write a few appreciative (not flattering) lines
  • Name and signature of the employee

Keeping aforesaid in mind, following are some of the leave request samples that you can pass on to the employees for future reference.

Leave of Absence Letter Sample 1 – General

Employee/writer’s details:
Name
Address with City and Zip Code
Phone Number
Date

Supervisor’s Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]

Further to our last discussion, this letter is a request for leave of absence from mm/dd/yy to mm/dd/yy. I will be resuming work from mm/dd/yy.

Do let me know in case of any further questions that you may have.

Thank you for granting me the leave.

Sincerely,
Signature
Name

Leave of Absence Letter Sample 2 – Medical Leave from Work for Self

Employee/writer’s details:
Name
Address with City and Zip Code
Phone Number
Date

Supervisor’s Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]

As you know, I have been suffering from (disease/disorder) for the past (time length). Despite trying all the medical procedures, surgery seems like the only way out. Consider this as a formal leave application for a period of (number of weeks/months), including the post-recovery period.

I am attaching my surgeon’s recommendation letter for the same.

I have also made sure that no work or productivity gets hampered in my absence. Further, I will be available on calls and messages, if the need arises.

This is a difficult period for all of us. Expect your cooperation and wishes for the same.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Signature
Name

Leave of Absence Letter Sample 3 – Medical Leave from Work for a Family Member

Employee/writer’s details:
Name
Address with City and Zip Code
Phone Number
Date

Supervisor’s Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]

As you know, a close one has been suffering from (disease/disorder) for the past (time length). Despite trying all the medical procedures, surgery seems like the only way out. Consider this as a formal leave application for a period of (number of weeks/months). I will be staying with (person’s name) for the entire recovery period.

Attached is the surgeon’s recommendation letter for the same.

I have also made sure that no work or productivity gets hampered in my absence. Further, I will be available on calls and messages, if the need arises.

This is a difficult period for all of us. Expect your cooperation and wishes for the same.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Signature
Name

Leave of Absence Letter Sample 4 – Holiday Request

Employee/writer’s details:
Name
Address with City and Zip Code
Phone Number
Date

Supervisor’s Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]

Further to our discussion yesterday, I would like to put in a request for (x) number of days. I would be returning to work on (date). As discussed, I have been feeling a little burnt out over the past couple of weeks and think some time out would bring be back into the game.

Thank you so much for understanding and granting me the much-needed leave. I’ll ensure that this sabbatical helps me reach my maximum potential, once I am back.

Yours sincerely,
Signature
Name

Leave of Absence Policy Sample

On the part of the HR, more than knowing about the letter samples, it is important to know how to draft a proper leave of absence policy so that there is no miscommunication in the future. This also provides legal protection to the organization as everything is in writing, leaving no room for ambiguity.

Here’s a sample policy that you can refer to while creating one for your organization:

Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is to lay the relevant guidelines with regards to paid and unpaid leave and all types of leaves of absence.

Eligibility:

All the employees of the organization fall under the purview of this policy.

Guidelines:

  • Granting or refusing leave depends on the business demands
  • Leave of absence without approval will result in disciplinary action
  • The organization follows the financial year of April to March, and the leave calculations will happen accordingly
  • The leave credit will happen at the start of the financial year
  • The HR Portal tool will have all the leave records
  • Employees should apply for all leaves on the HR Portal for approval
  • New employees will be eligible for paid leaves and other benefits only after the completion of the probationary period
  • Employees should utilize at least 20 leaves during a year
  • Employees can carry forward a maximum of 10 leaves during the next year
  • The manager should approve their leave
  • Unapproved leave for seven consecutive days will imply that the employee has left the organization
  • A medical leave requires reporting the manager regularly of own/relative’s progress

Do you Need a Leave of Absence Policy?

Of course. A detailed and planned leave policy provides legal immunity to the organization. It also ensures that there is no misunderstanding when it comes to leave of absence as a concept. This leads to a streamlined process wherein employees know their rights and exercise them with caution and responsibility.

Do you have a leave of absence policy? How does it work? Do let us know @HarmonizeHQ.