Leave Request Email / Letter

• For documentation purposes. Your leave request and the corresponding replies have to be documented to preserve your rights and the rights of your employers in the event of disagreement. If anyone asks in the future why you were not in office for a particular period of time, then you can show that you have applied for leave and that it has been approved.
  
  
• For approval procedures. More often than not your leave request has to go through multiple layers of approval where every person involved in the process puts their seal of approval (which could be as simple as the word "approved") so that we all know who approved what.
  
  
• You may also need a leave request email if you are in a remote location and have no access to the company application system.

• Apply through the company’s system or portal. If your company has a system to apply for leaves, then you should follow the procedure and make use of the system. You may still write an email to your manager even in this case. Some of the reasons why you would want to write an email after submitting your application are:
  
  
  • You have an urgent leave and you want your supervisor to approve it fast.
  • You want to mention or emphasize certain information that is not available through the system.
  • Your supervisor may not have access to the system but you still need to follow the policy for compliance, so you do it twice: through the system and by mail.
  
  
• Send an email or letter to your manager or the HR department. If your company has no system to apply for leaves, then your only option is to request through writing.
  
  
• Verbal request. This option is not recommended unless you work for a really small company (ten people or fewer). Having said that, a verbal request could serve the purpose of getting a verbal approval before actually making the written request. This is good because you don’t want to you waste time by filling an application or writing a letter unless you have the assurance that your application will be approved.

Leave request as preliminary approval

• Annual leave: the most common of all leaves. Every employee is entitled to a certain number of annual paid leave days that may be taken together or in chunks.
  
  
• Holiday or Vacation leave: for most people, vacation leave goes under annual leave, there is no distinction between the two with rare exceptions, especially for high profile roles.
  
  
• Sick leave: obviously this is the leave that you avail when you are unable to attend to your duties due to illness. A clinical report may be required depending on the company policy.
  
  
• Unpaid leave: as the name suggests, you won’t get paid for those days. You may want to go down this route if you have already used all of your annual leave days or if you have an emergency and you don’t want to wait for the normal approval procedure.
  
  
• Emergency leave: also referred to as a short notice leave.
  
  
• Leave of Absence: a type of leave that sets the person away from their duties for a variety of reasons while maintaining their status as an employee.
  
  
• Education leave: a special type of leave that grants the employee the right to attend a course, seminar, or conference in order to gain further knowledge, a higher degree, or field experience.
  
  
• Maternity leave: given to women before and after their delivery and may extend up to one year in some countries. Maternity leaves are paid most of the time.
  
  
• Compensatory leave: a leave granted in compensation for excess worked hours or days.
  
  
• Compassionate leave: a special type of leave that is granted in the unfortunate event of death or personal crisis.

• Business requirements: are you leaving in a busy period where your presence is essential? It is very important to think of the gap that your departure will create. Just because you have the right to leave doesn’t mean that you can go on a holiday whenever you want. Be reasonable with your decision and prioritize your options. If the business needs you and your vacation can be delayed, then perhaps it is better to remain at the job during this time around.
  
  
• Replacement: is there anyone to replace you during your absence? Make sure that there is someone to cover for you while you are not there or at least ensure that all of your tasks are completed.
  
  
• Notice period: have you given your manager enough time to plan for your leave? Nobody likes surprises. It very important to give your employers enough time to cope with your absence.
  
  
• Public Holidays: are there any public holidays coinciding with your target leave dates? If yes, then maybe a leave request is not required at all. You may be surprised how often this point is overlooked.
  
  
• Leave day balance: do have enough days in your balance to go for leave? If not, then your request will be rejected or you will have to take an unpaid leave. Consider these options before you apply.

• The type of leave
• The reason for the leave (if not annual)
• Leave start date
• Leave end date
• Last day in office before going on leave
• The First day in office after returning from leave
• Number of days of your leave
• Number of actual working days
• The name and position of the person who will cover for you.
• An emergency number where you can be contacted
• An outline of how the work is handled in your absence (who will do what)
• Supporting documents if needed, for example, “illness certificate” in case of sick leave.

• Send a simple email to your manager thanking them for approving your leave.
  
  
• Write down all the details pertaining to your job in a clear and easy to read way. This will act as a reference for whoever is taking charge of your responsibilities. The last thing you want is someone calling you during the vacation to ask about some work-related issue.
  
  
• Provide a clean and comprehensive handover alongside the reference that you wrote in step one. Train your replacement or the person covering for you very well to avoid disturbing calls later.
  
  
• Write an email to your colleagues and clients informing them about your leave. Make sure to list the below information:
  • Your leave dates
  • Contact details of people handling things in your absence
  • An emergency number where you can be contacted.
  
  
• Setup an auto-reply message. Something like this will do just fine: “Dear Sender, I will be on leave from [some date] to [some date]. During this time, I will have limited access to my mail so please contact [someone] instead. Regards”
  
  

Returning from your leave:

• Inform colleagues and clients that you are back.
• Disable your auto-reply (test it)