Employee Leave Dilemma: Does Unapproved Leave Mean Loss of Pay Despite Eligibility?

Hello Gentlemen, If an employee's leave request is not approved by the HOD, will the leave be considered LOP, even though leave eligibility is there?

Under normal circumstances, an employee should not be refused leave if they have sufficient leave credited to them. If leave is refused, it should be recorded so that it can be added to the maximum leave that an employee could accumulate at any point in time. However, if there is an abnormal situation and this scenario is communicated to the employee(s), and the employee still takes leave, it can be refused and marked as leave without pay. In this case, the number of refused leaves would also be added to the leave that can be accumulated or carried forward to the next year.

Dear Rajesh,

When the employee leave policy is designed, it starts with the tenet: "employee leave is a privilege and not an entitlement." What does your policy say? Has the approving authority for each designation been defined in the leave policy?

Approving Authority for Leave

The HOD should be the approving authority for the leave. As the HODs are responsible for maintaining operational continuity, they deserve to be bestowed with matching authority.

Consequences of Unapproved Leave

If the leave is not approved, the leave application gets turned down. Therefore, the days for which the employee had applied for leave become unauthorized absences, and the pay is automatically forfeited.

Avoiding Negative Outcomes

However, discretion lies in avoiding such situations. Turning down leave applications leaves a bad taste in the minds of the subordinates. To avoid bitterness, HODs should be advised to prepare a leave plan for the year. Any overlap has to be avoided. While planning manpower, some leeway has to be left for emergent situations. If this leeway does not exist, then such situations could crop up again and again.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Normally, 'leave is not a right' but is to be availed with mutual consent. It's often said and done this way. On the other hand, post-COVID, employers generally have no difficulties in approving leave at a time. In the hybrid work-from-home model, which is now common, employees are sometimes encouraged to take leave during which remote access is possible, sometimes even compulsory. This is common nowadays in IT/ITES sectors.

If the rapport is good between the employer and employee, difficulties seldom arise. In the present case of the query, depending on the exigencies, a decision will have to be made. If it were to be Leave Without Pay (LOP) for a longer period, it could hurt the sentiments of the employees concerned.