HR101: How to Decline Leave Applications

Declining leave requests is perhaps the most difficult task of HR professionals.  They have to ensure that they make a solid ground for declining a time-off request. Then, they also have to guarantee that the employee doesn’t take it badly.

In this microblog post, we will outline some tips that you need to consider when you have to decline a leave request.

Provide Legitimate Business Reasons

Like any other employee, an HR professional also serves the interest of their employer company. Therefore, you need to act as an advocate of the company and put down all the reasons for which the leave application can’t be processed. Whether it is the shortage of on-job staff, workload, or the applicant’s unsatisfactory past performance, you need to put across that the application is being rejected on purely professional grounds.

Empathize with the Employee

Having an empathetic connotation in correspondence is very vital when declining a leave request. You must identify with the applicant as a fellow employee. Try to share their disappointment. It might help in diluting their resentment.

Don’t Give Suggestions

Avoid giving suggestions and alternatives when declining a time-off request. Believe us; an employee getting a time-off rejection is not interested in any of your recommendations at all.

For maintaining a system where you don’t have to reject the time-off requests through email or in person, use SimplyHRMS by Microsys. It is a useful lightweight web-based HRMS solution for small and medium-sized enterprises.