Reject Request For Leave During Busiest Time

Hi,

Our busiest time of the month is during the first week of every month. Can we prevent staff from taking annual leave then, and can we decline an employee's request for annual leave if he gives us less than 2 days' notice?

I would welcome your comments, please. Thanks.

The only legal way has two parts:

1) Get this clause in the agreement of every new employee you appoint.
2) For old employees, get permission from your area labor inspector to do so.

Be very vigilant to not break any law in the process. If covered, see Industrial Employment Standing Order.

Formulating a Leave Policy

Yes, you can formulate a leave policy. In the policy, you can mention that one can avail of annual leave after giving a written application at least x days in advance. The grant of any such leave is at the sole discretion of the approving authority, depending upon the exigencies of work.

Every professional organization has a leave policy in place, and most companies have the aforementioned clause. The leave policy is handed over to the employee upon their joining. In case you don't have a leave policy, you can draft one and circulate it. Such a policy, as long as it does not violate the basic principles of the statutes, is valid as per law.

Regards,
[username]

Leave Policies and Employee Rights

While leave is a right of the employee, it is still the option of the company as to when it can be taken. Therefore, the law allows employers to establish procedures for the application and approval of leave. You cannot create a blanket policy that no leave will be given in the first week of every month, but you can have a policy stating that the company can deny leave due to workload or business exigencies. If someone is applying for annual leave during the first week of the month, you can deny it specifically for that application.

Most businesses have a rule requiring the employee to apply at least 15 days prior to the leave days for annual/vacation/PL/EL. Please check the Standing Orders applicable to you, or the model standing orders that apply to your organization, and see what the provision is regarding this particular item.

Regards, [username]