How Can We Tackle Frequent Long Leaves Around Weekends in Our IT Company?

Hi Friends, I am working as an HR professional with an IT company. We operate on a 5-day workweek, with 1 leave allowed per month. The issue we are facing is that many employees frequently request leave on Fridays, often paired with a short leave on Thursdays. This results in a continuous absence of 3.25 days out of the 7-day week. Sometimes, the duration is even longer when employees request leaves adjacent to weekends or take time off between public holidays and weekends. This situation adversely affects their assignments and project deliverables. Since this is not a case of sandwich leave, we cannot deduct weekends in such instances. My company has tasked me with creating a leave policy to address this challenge. I have already drafted a general leave policy for the company, but I am uncertain how to tackle this specific issue. Could you please provide me with some suggestions on how to handle and restrict such lengthy leaves effectively? Thank you in advance!

Regards, Meenakshi

Hi Buddy,

When framing your leave policy, state that employees have to apply three or four days in advance for taking leave. This will be helpful for managers to allocate leave according to genuineness and plan accordingly in advance.

With Regards,

Mr. Thumbs Up

Leave is not a matter of right except in the case of sickness. Most of the leave rules state that leave is required to be sanctioned prior to proceeding on leave. The sanctioning authority has to work with the HR team in this regard. Please apply the rules in the true sense rather than getting them misinterpreted.

Regards

In the leave policy, you may need to add certain points such as:

- Number of days to apply for leave and get approval
- Name of the approval authority
- Penalty for taking leave without prior approval
- Maximum number of consecutive leaves allowed
- Etc.

If you are looking for a draft, please feel free to reach out to me.

Thank you for your response, Kumaran Praveen and Anand Anil. Yes, we have this policy of applying for leave 3 days in advance. However, the issue is that employees have started applying for leave adjacent to almost every second weekend or adjacent to every public holiday. The typical reasons for leaves are a family trip, urgent work, a health issue within the family, or something genuinely urgent or difficult to question or argue about. Yes, there is one sick leave per quarter.

This scenario increases the chances of negativity if we start rejecting leave when employees give the reason of urgent work within the family. Instead, we feel that implementing a policy that limits them from applying for leave for long weekends so frequently may be more appropriate. Once a month should be acceptable.

My suggestion is to start with some basic HRMS software that manages your leave.

Put some simple rules in place, such as: for leaves exceeding 2 days, apply at least 10 days in advance, or for more than 4 days, apply at least a month in advance. Clearly communicate that management approval of leaves is not mandatory and is at their discretion, considering the work schedule and the total number of employees not on duty during that period.

Online HRMS software will show employees their current leave status and balance, which can be surprising if not regularly checked. Secondly, make the approval cycle a bit lengthy and inform employees about it. Do not accept last-minute requests. Regularly reject leave requests from habitual leave-goers. Do not allow short leaves if the employee is on leave the next day.

Don't worry; people either understand through communication or through stricter measures. The rule of thumb is that every employee must follow company guidelines. I have never heard of an employee resigning because their leave was rejected.

Take bold steps.

Hi Buddy,

Making the leave policy too rigid will affect even the genuine employees; therefore, you need to find a middle ground. My suggestion is to post a general notice and send an email to all employees, explaining how taking leave around holidays and weekends impacts projects and work. This will prompt employees to consider their actions, and we should see some positive changes.

With Regards,
Mr. Thumbs Up

Thank you for your response, Excelencia. This is one of the toughest jobs—to determine authenticity. It consumes a significant amount of time for the HR department to analyze each employee's leave history and then engage in discussions with them regarding their applied leaves. Moreover, employees often compare their leave approvals with those of their colleagues, leading to potential issues.

Key Points from Suggestions

1) Consider the maximum number of leaves taken consecutively.
2) Long leaves should be requested at least 15 days in advance for durations exceeding 2 days, while for leaves over 4 days, the request should be made at least a month prior.
3) Disallow short leaves if they are adjacent to other leaves or holidays.
4) Enforce a stringent leave approval process to avoid last-minute requests.

While these points seem feasible, implementing the strategy of rejecting leaves regularly for habitual leave-takers can be challenging. The excuse of urgent family matters often complicates this situation.

If we aim to establish stricter regulations for unapproved leaves, particularly those adjacent to weekends, what rules could be considered?

Thank you and best regards,

Meenakshi

Hi,

Even after making a policy, it is better to have counseling with the employees to educate them and explain the implications of how it will affect both the employee and the employer.

Addressing Leave Management Issues

It appears that there is an issue with handling leave for employees. You need to train employees on the leave policy, starting from the objective of the leave policy and then explaining how one can take leave. Clarify how many leaves one can take at a stretch, the types of leaves that can be taken, and those that cannot be combined with holidays or weekly offs. Stress the importance of proper leave utilization by employees. Highlight the role of the boss in leave sanctioning and the role of peers in case of an employee's absence.

Impact of Leave Utilization

Explain the impact of planned and frequent leave utilization on achieving both company and personal goals/targets. This requires employee involvement with a sense of responsibility.

Implementing Leave Policies

To initiate this, you can issue a circular specifying the maximum number of people who can take leave from one section or area in a week/fortnight/month. State that employees who have taken leave once in a month will not be sanctioned until the next month. Allow for leave swapping to facilitate communication among employees and prevent frustration due to these restrictions. Gain the confidence of senior management as this circular is primarily aimed at regulating leave usage. Additionally, comprehensive training on leave management will aid in establishing an efficient leave system.

Effective communication with the employees is crucial; otherwise, they may create their own narratives, leaving you out of the loop in resolving issues.

Regards,

Hi Anand Anil,

Thank you for your valuable response.

"Type of leaves which can be and cannot be combined with holidays or weekly off." & how many maximum persons can take leave in a week/fortnight/month" ------ can you give me more idea about it.

I would really appreciate it if you could share any sample leave policy covering these points.

Thanks,
Meenakshi

I had previously suggested some points on how to control or minimize leaves during long weekends. You can incorporate the following points into your Leave Policy as per your requirements:

No Holidays Between Continuous Leaves

No holidays will be allowed between continuous leaves. An individual must be available either before or after the holiday; otherwise, it will be counted as leave or absence.

Norms for Taking Casual-Sick Leave

1. A maximum of 2 Casual Leaves can be availed in a single instance. Beyond 2, regular CL or PL, if any, will be adjusted. If there is no PL balance, the same will be deducted.

2. A maximum of 3 Sick Leaves can be availed in a single instance. After that, a Medical Certificate must be provided to the HOD.

3. In a single instance, either Casual Leave or Sick Leave can be availed; beyond the maximum limit, PL, if any, will be adjusted.

4. No W/Off-Holiday will be allowed between continuous leave. The individual must be available either before or after the Weekend-Off or Holiday; else, it will be counted as leave or absence.

5. All leaves should be pre-approved by the Supervisor/Shift Incharge and finally approved by the HOD.

6. Repetition of leave around holidays and weekends is allowed only with prior approval from the HOD.

7. PL will be allowed on an accrued basis.

Weekly Off Policy

Norms for W/Off Policy

1. No Weekend-Off will be allowed during consecutive leave, absence, or holidays.

2. To avail the Weekend-Off, the individual must be present either before or after the Weekend-Off; otherwise, it will be considered as Absent or PL.

I hope the above meets your requirements. You can make modifications according to your management decisions and company policies.

Regards,
[Username]

Handling Leave Requests and Productivity

Every organization must maintain productivity, and if productivity is lost, deliverables get delayed. In my opinion, such situations should be managed by the Project Manager supervising these teams. Any employee requesting such leave should first get it approved by their supervisor. The HR department will consider the suggestions of the Project Managers or Business Heads. In many cases, even if leaves are available, critical project deadlines can be reasons why leave is not sanctioned, and it should be the responsibility of the Project Manager. Therefore, your leave policy should include a clause stating 'subject to approval of Project Manager.'

Regards,
Meenakshi

Suggestions for Managing Leave Issues

Let line managers discuss with the teams as they are equally responsible for the leaves and project delays.

Ask the division to submit a monthly leave calendar in advance. Here, you can tackle them on a case-by-case basis.

Keep weekly meetings, training, workshops, etc., to ensure their presence in the office. Attendance is mandatory.

In case of any last-minute unjustified leaves, make it unpaid.

Highlight the recurring cases to the management.

You have to be assertive and firm in your approach since this is always a sensitive issue in all companies. However, I hope with these new rules, you can ask the bosses not to spoil the employees' weekend with business calls, etc.

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for such valuable feedback and suggestions. I am working on drafting a leave policy based on the points we have discussed so far. I will contact you again if you need any help with the same.

In the meantime, please do share any sample leave policy for reference that covers some of the points mentioned here.

Thanks & Best Regards,
Meenakshi

My suggestion is to start with some basic HRMS software which takes care of your leave. This software helps the human resource to introduce leave policies that work in favor of the employees. With flexibility and reliability, managers can track the leave patterns too with the help of analysis reports.