Planning for leave is easy – you decide beforehand how many days off you need, you make plans for those days and you inform your manager that you will not be coming in for a certain period.
However, we cannot always plan – unforeseen circumstances can put us in situations where we have little choice but to take a day or two off, without providing notice of our intentions.
Unplanned leaves can transpire due to many reasons including sudden illness of self or a family member, a death in the family, an unfortunate event at home or an immediate need to travel for various reasons.
In circumstances such as these, it is evident that informing your manager in person may be a bit difficult. And this is where technology helps us.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to take unplanned leave, the best way to inform your manager is to write an email.
The email will be delivered within seconds, and you don’t even have to be physically present to hand it in!
However, the content of your email in circumstances such as these needs to be solid. Answer the following questions in your head before you write your email:
- Why are you suddenly taking time off?
- How long will you be gone?
- Is there something at work that needs your immediate attention and can it be handed over to a coworker?
- When will you return to work?
The answer to all these is the content of your email! Here is an example:
See also: Sick Leave Email
Sample Unplanned Leave Mail to Manager
To: Richard Gastang <r,[email protected]opulardenver.com>
Subject: Unplanned Leave
Dear Mr. Gastang:
My family met with a series of unfortunate events last night when my house was broken into, and many valuable items were stolen. What is more worrying is the fact that my teenage nephew has been taken into custody as a “person of interest,” which has been a massive blow to us as a family.
Since last night, my mind has been in a constant state of turmoil – this morning, I have to determine the damages, provide reports to the police and make arrangements to have my nephew brought back home. I am afraid that I will not be able to come to work today, as I anticipate that all these things will take up a major part of the day.
Thankfully, I managed to meet the deadline for the article yesterday, and Ms. Jenna Thompson has also edited it, which means it is ready for print. If there is anything urgent that you require me to do, please send an email, and I will try to fit it in today. Alternatively, I can put in extra time when I come to work tomorrow.
I appreciate your understanding of my situation. If needed, I can be contacted at (000) 858-3232 throughout the day.
Sincerely,
Hermione Potter
Administrative Assistant
ABC Company