50+ Sample Leave Form Templates

Leave Forms: What Are They?

For sure, you already know that a leave is any period where HR grants an employee a day off. And that leave comes with many types from sick leave, vacation leave, study leave, etc. In order for an employee to process a leave request, he or she must submit an official document called the leave form. This document will require the details behind the leave from the date, reason, employee name, and more. Leave forms will be what the HR or employer uses to evaluate if an employee’s leave application should be granted or denied.

According to SHRM, leaves of all types should be documented using leave forms.

Meanwhile, A Job Thing reported about a study where 500 Singaporean employees agreed that they want more days off with annual leave (36%), flexible hours (32%), and professional development programs (20%) as their top three list.

On another note, Statista reported that in 2019, 57% of French people did not consider taking any day off for reasons aside from paid leave.

Why Are Leave Forms Needed?

Leave forms are highly important to set some regulations in the workplace. There is even a study conducted that around 500 Singaporean employees agreed that they prefer extra days off with annual leave (36%), flexible hours (32%), and professional development programs (20%) as their top three list. And an organization would eventually go bankrupt in processing paid leaves without limit. Hence, you expect limited annual leaves available at work. For example, a company might offer 12 days of paid vacation leaves and 12 days of sick leaves in a year. It is up to employees regarding when they use their available leaves.

Moreover, leave forms are essential for documentation. Besides knowing if someone’s absence is either paid or unpaid, it is also crucial for tracking someone’s whereabouts. Maybe someone very important in the workplace goes missing for a couple of days without notifying HR. That is very unprofessional that the said employee might get terminated for it. The said employee should have taken a leave of absence form or notified the employer to be clear if that person is still taking a vacation, sick at the hospital, and for any other reason.

The Anatomy of a Standard Leave Form

What are the common parts seen in a leave form? It is true that in every company, the content of a leave form varies. But there are common elements to see as well. So in this segment, we will introduce you to the anatomy of a standard leave form.

Title: Start with a title so the leave form will not be mistaken as any other kind of document. The title automatically gives you the document’s purpose too. So if it is labeled as a leave form, then all workers would know that is the document used to request a leave. And the title should be bold or highlighted for easy visibility.Name of Company: To make your leave form more personalized, indicate the name of your company too. That way, it is clear as to which business the leave form is from. So in tracking employees who filed for a leave, the document notes where those workers are employed at. You can incorporate your organization’s branding as well from the business logo, official website, and contact details.Name of Employee: The next concern is to identify who is requesting a leave. The employee should jot down his or her name, job position, contact numbers, and other basic details. The employee’s info is critical for tracking purposes. Otherwise, HR might not know who is qualified for a leave from over who knows how many people are employed in an organization.Request Date: Another crucial element to a leave form is the request date. When did the employee file for a leave application form? And when will the leave actually take place? Answer those in the form. It would be wise to request around two weeks earlier from the day you actually leave unless it is an emergency or sickness issue. The point is, the earlier the better. That way, the employer can finalize your leave records pronto. And the complete date should be noted from the minute, hour, month, day, and year.Leave Duration: You might have finalized in setting the date. But how about how long your time off is? Some may take two or more days and that is another concern to answer in the leave form. An example is a student who takes a week of study leave or someone who just wants a long vacation leave for personal reasons. Estimating the leave duration is important to prepare everyone left at work about when you may come back. Nature of Leave: What is the leave’s nature? This part labels the leave appropriately. Start with if it is paid or unpaid. Another classification is if it belongs to sick leave, vacation leave, medical leave, maternity or paternity leave, and more. And every leave’s nature has a set of policies in the workplace, which should be introduced for clarification purposes.Reason for Leave: Why is an employee planning to leave in the first place? Answer that question in the reason for leave section. Here is a quick trivia: 57% of French people didn’t consider taking any day off aside from paid leave. That is, according to Statista’s research survey. But simply wanting a paid leave without an underlying reason is still incomplete for documentation. There should be some explanation like taking a leave due to a high fever. And companies must have a clear rule on what the valid and invalid reasons are.Supporting Documents: A leave form might have the reason stated but lacking supporting documents can be a problem. Supporting details will help prove how true your reasons are for leaving. Suppose you take a sick leave. Your statement becomes more believable with a medical certificate included. And most importantly, prepare documents that are relevant to prove your statement.Rules and Regulations: Leave forms can include reminders about the rules and regulations regarding how to govern leaves. Maybe some people forgot about the crucial terms and conditions. Thus, they ended up breaking those rules. That is a no-no and it could lead to employees who abuse to leave.Signatures: Last but not least, end the form with a space to affix signatures. Signing the document is the official confirmation that the details written there are finalized. And employees only wait for approval until they are allowed to leave.

How to Create an Acceptable Leave Form

Yes, you are already introduced to the leave form’s definition, importance, and essential elements. The most important question now is how do you make this form in the first place? The easiest answer is to try out our sample leave form templates. Rest assured, you will no longer begin from scratch because each professional template is premade. You focus on finishing its details instead. And in this section, we will guide you on how to ensure your leave form is acceptable.

Step 1: Customize a Template

First things first, find a template from our samples above. You can eventually edit and download it shortly. But be sure you will label the title, categories, and other needed things to add. There are many things you can do to a template anyway due to its customizable features. A good start is to ensure the form can answer the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the leave request. Also, personalize your leave form where your company branding is also visible.

Step 2: Insert the Necessary Elements

Are you still familiar with the anatomy of a standard leave form that was discussed earlier? Insert them one by one. So from the title down to the signature line, they must be present to be acceptable. Leave forms without the request schedule, employee name, and other crucial elements would not be reliable reference documents. You can even add more categories and elements which you think would benefit these documents more.

Step 3: Arrange the Format and Design

Do not blindly insert element per element without a sense of arrangement and organization. Everything should be well-arranged too. This also goes to how the design and format of your leave forms turn out. A very organized document will even be much easier to understand and complete. You can add some instructions if some parts may be confusing for employees. And never forget to have an easy-to-follow structure.

Step 4: Implement Strict Rules and Conditions

Leave forms also come with rules and conditions. You will have to be clear with the submission process, the validity of requests, what is allowed and prohibited, and so much more. Adding regulations is beneficial for security reasons, especially in ensuring there is a proper systematic process on how HR manages employee leaves. And once all these rules will be given right into the introduction and training of every employee, rest assured, it will pay off.

FAQs

What are the types of leaves?

Leaves come in many different types. And the most common examples are vacation leave, study leave, annual leave, paternity or maternity leave, carer’s leave, privilege leave, and casual leave.

What is leave management?

Leave management refers to the important HR activities where HR should comply with the leave policies, ensure that the staff left are still enough, and that employees receive satisfaction at work.

What is DA Form 31?

DA Form 31 is one type of leave form made for the Department of the Army. Those who belong in the armed forces use that form in explaining their absences at work.

Accept the fact that every employee won’t have to be stuck at work all the time. Everyone needs some time off or rest as well. And at least leave forms are available to help them have some days off, whether it is paid or not. Also, a leave form is pretty straightforward and short, but using poorly made examples can cause confusion and conflicts in the workplace. Instead, use excellently made templates from our collection of sample leave forms for a better workplace system. Download now!