KEEPING UP TO DATE

Unauthorised leave

Unauthorised leave

I’m sure you’ve heard this before, “I’m just letting you know we’ve booked a 2-week holiday for next month, I’ll put the leave in now”.  This is a predicament we find a lot of business owners and companies face regularly.  The proposed leave either falls within a critical project delivery or the dates clash with another team member’s leave or some other scenario that makes the request something you are unable to agree upon.

As this is something we encounter a lot at we want to help you understand how to deal with this.

Firstly, your organisation needs a Leave policy.  The policy should highlight leave entitlements, how to apply for leave, and also include if there are any times of year that leave isn’t operationally possible.  You may even want to add a clause around your employees being responsible for costs incurred due to booking unauthorised leave, if it were reasonably refused.

Additionally, remember that leave requests are as the name implies, simply a request and not a guarantee.  Whilst holidays and breaks are something we all need to support our wellbeing, requests should be made in accordance to organisational policy and at a time that is mutually agreeable.  Note: Leave requests can be denied if the refusal is reasonable.

If you would like further information on this topic, are struggling to deal with a leave request issue or need assistance in writing an effective company leave policy, please reach out to us for assistance.