When do I give my Leave of Absence Letters? 1 or 2 weeks prior to my leave?

Ideally, a leave of absence letter should be sent as early as 30 days before the leave is required, although many companies will accept anything up to a couple of days before the leave is wanted in emergencies.

• Large Companies

In large companies, leave of absence letters are usually required well in advance to enable arrangement of sufficient cover, as well as avoiding having too many people off at the same time, or having to turn people down because others are already off.

• Small Companies

Although smaller companies generally have fewer members of staff, they do tend to be a little more flexible with regards to leave of absence letters. As long as the employee has ensured sufficient cover is arranged, they are generally happy to have the letter around one to two weeks before the leave is due.

• Courtesy

As a rule, employees have the courtesy to discuss a forthcoming leave with their colleagues in order to establish who can cover which part of their work, as well as with the head of their department or whoever will ultimately grant the leave before the letter is being sent.

• Company Policy

Having a chat with colleagues or the boss will also indicate the general company policies with regards to how long beforehand a leave of absence letter should be sent.

If it is an unexpected leave due to illness or other emergencies in the family, most companies are quite willing to waive usual policies. In any case, it is best to check any rules and regulations within one's company in plenty of time.

• Sample Letters

If unsure how to formulate a leave of absence letter, taking a look at a sample or two will provide a good idea of what to write and how to write it to be successful.