What is casual leave?

Casual Leave is a leave given to employees for unexpected situations or unforeseen circumstances. Casual leave is also known as personal leave, discretionary leave, and unplanned leave. It is often taken by employees for personal reasons. Employees can take casual leave after the end of their probation period. It is usually a short leave (1-2 days) approved by the manager.

Reasons for taking casual leave

Casual leave is usually taken personal reasons like –

• Taking some time off due to health conditions.
• Running important personal errands related to bank, passport and VISA.
• Having a family emergency related to health, death, accident, etc.
• Attending a family event like weddings or festivals.

Casual leave rules

Allocation: Casual leave is allocated to the employees at the beginning of the calendar year or at the start of their joining. It can be spread across the year as deemed fit by the employer.

Duration: Casual leaves can usually be taken for short duration like 1-3 days.

Paid: Yes, Casual leaves are paid time offs provided by companies.

Prior Notice: Some companies require employees to provide ample notice before taking a casual leave, but it can be taken on short notice as well.

Carry Over: Casual leaves cannot be carried over onto the next year. Most companies have “use it or lose it” policy. It can also not be clubbed with other types of leaves. However, certain companies allow a permissible number of CLs which can be carried over to the next year.

Documentation and Restrictions: When an employee exhausts the CL limit, they are required to provide documentation to verify their reason for absence. In some cases, employees are restricted from taking consecutive Casual leaves.

Factors to consider while applying for casual leave

Work Calendar

Check your work calendar before taking a casual leave because taking a sudden time off can cause problems for your team and company.

Leave Balance

Keep track of your leave balance and how much leaves you have left for that month or year, so you don’t have to suffer loss of pay.

Nature of Leave

Examine the nature of urgency for the leave. If it is not necessary, you can save it for an urgent situation.

Documentation

Documentation is optional when taking casual leave. But if it is a case of medical emergency, you may be required to provide documentation.

How to write an application for casual leave?

Here are a few things you need to keep in mind when writing your application for casual leave:

• Subject: Start with an impactful “Subject” line. Get straight to the point and write “Require approval for casual leave” or “Requesting approval for half day”.
• Reason for leave: In the body of the mail, you can write the reason for your leave, it may be a medical emergency, or you can have an urgent errand to run.
• Pending tasks: Make sure to point out the tasks that need attention during your time away, so your team stays in sync with the workflow.
• Conclusion: Conclude your application requesting the leave approval again and sign off with your signature. Attach necessary documentation if required.