Q. My employee has requested a last-minute holiday this summer, however I was unable to accommodate this due to having team members off already. It says in the handbook this is a disciplinary offense. The impact of this leave will be detrimental to the practice. The employee states that they have booked their holiday and will be taking the leave regardless of the refusal. How do I manage this?
If your employee takes unauthorised leave, you have reasonably refused, this could be treated as a conduct matter. We recommend checking contractual agreements and policies for are any rights to last minute annual leave. If the request is refused, make it clear in writing the reasons why it is unauthorised. Include that the absence will be treated as a disciplinary matter. Hopefully, this will discourage the employee from taking the leave. If not, then you could follow your formal disciplinary process.
If you are unsure as to the management process if a member of staff takes unauthorised leave, send a copy of the contract to advice@mddus.com and a member of our HR and employment advisory team will look at this for you.
This page was correct at the time of publication. Any guidance is intended as general guidance for members only. If you are a member and need specific advice relating to your own circumstances, please contact one of our advisers.
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