In this article, we will share with you our list of reasons for taking casual leave. We will give you tips and advice on each excuse in particular and tell you what you shouldn’t do when taking casual leave.
List of reasons for taking casual leave
Here is a list of reasons for taking casual leave:
- Due to illness or injury
- Family emergency
- Days of mourning for the death of a relative
- For vehicle or transportation problems
- For taking a mental health Day
- For emergency at home
- For medical appointments
- By Jury duty/ Duties of a citizen
- For unforeseen events
- For falling asleep
- Medical tests
- Pets emergencies
- Deaths and funerals
- Shipments of packages, furniture, etc.
- Tragedy at home
- Personal reasons.
Regardless of the reason why a worker decides to take casual leave, the company must receive a receipt stating why one has not gone to work. Otherwise, you confront three legal consequences: salary reduction, disciplinary sanctions or dismissal.
Now, let’s discuss each reason for taking casual leave in particular, and give you some extra tips!
Taking casual leave due to illness or injury
Calling to report that one is sick is one of the most used excuses by workers, whether or not they are sick. Most employers prefer that sick staff stay home so they don’t infect others, but if you miss working for several days due to illness or injury, you may need a doctor’s statement. In some cases, employers allow a certain number of sick days per year that the employee can take.
Taking casual leave due to a family emergency
Employees with children sometimes have to go home to take care of them if they are sick. You can even miss work due to personal family emergencies, for example, if a relative is in the hospital or needs care during a certain day.
Taking casual leave due to days of mourning for the death of a relative
Check your contract because days of mourning attend funerals for immediate family members such as parents, siblings and children, and consider these events to be an excused absence. You could speak with your employer and agree as to how many days you can take for mourning.
Taking casual leave due to vehicle or transportation problems
Many times, employees have vehicular problems such as their car not starting or their car breaking down during the tour. However, this excuse is often used even when the vehicles have no problem.
If your car breaks down on the way to work, try taking your car to a workshop and using public transportation, employers will appreciate your efforts!
Taking casual leave due to taking a mental health Day
Some employees take the day to rest from the stress of work, depression or an anxiety attack. Mental health days can be taken last minute and you don’t have to disclose to HR your condition, unless you want to and believe that this would help your situation overall. Mental health days are usually taken as personal days.
Taking casual leave due to an emergency at home
Employees may miss work for an emergency at homes such as broken pipes, power outages, or any other emergency that requires the person to stay home to deal with the problem.
Taking casual leave due to medical appointments
Doctor appointments and other types of appointments that need to be made on your work schedule are another reason for missing work or leaving early.
Some things that cannot be done on the weekends must be done during the week, resulting in employers having to report sickness if employers do not allow them to take the day for appointments or other personal matters.
Talk to your employer. Ask him if he prefers you to arrive late or leave early for your doctor’s appointment. If you show that you take your responsibilities seriously, your employer will appreciate it.
Taking casual leave due to Jury duty/ Duties of a citizen
Jury duty is usually an excused absence from work. Employers have different standards when it comes to jury duty, but they will almost always allow employees to perform their civic duties smoothly.
What if they made you a member of a jury at a trial. Or maybe you should attend court as a witness. If they accused you of something, better not say it. Nobody wants a criminal on their staff 🙂
Taking casual leave due to unforeseen events
Some employees will schedule some time off or take a vacation day to attend events during the week or to recover from events the night before. Parents often have to miss work for school events like plays, graduations, or field trips.
It is best to plan these days. Your employer counts on you and you won’t like the last minute notice.
Taking casual leave due to falling asleep
Most employees who fall asleep and miss the beginning of their shift call not to go instead of being late for work.
Take into account your circumstances and your employer. Late arrival is better than a last-minute absence!
Taking casual leave due to medical tests
Say you have a very complicated medical test to take. You must notify HR the day before. You’re supposed to have a doctor’s appointment early in the morning. However, you arrive and the consultation is full of patients. That goes on for hours and hours.
The CT, ultrasound, etc. may even break down, and they have to refer you to another medical centre. What bad luck.
In the middle of the morning, call HR and tell them you don’t know when you’re going to finish. At 5:00 p.m., call them again to inform them that you have just left the hospital and that you no longer have time to stop by the office!
Taking casual leave due to pets emergencies
Do you have a dog? What would you do if it suddenly ran away and you can’t find it anywhere? After all, a pet is part of the family and you are worried. You do not know where it has gone, you went around the park several times but you can not find it. You can’t go to work, you have to find him. What if he gets hit by a car?
Just like you have to take children to the paediatrician, dogs also get sick or need vaccinations. You have to take them to the vet. Of course, the practice will be full of pets waiting for their turn.
Taking casual leave due to deaths and funerals
Take a look at your employment agreement. Depending on the sector, the degree of kinship and the place of residence of the deceased, it may take more or fewer days to attend the burial and the funeral.
Maybe your pet died. You are very sad and cannot concentrate on work because of the great pain that you have on top of you.
Taking casual leave due to shipments of packages, furniture, etc.
You are waiting for a package or a sofa, the refrigerator, the TV to be delivered. You met with the delivery guy first thing in the morning.
However, the courier is stuck in a traffic jam, cannot find your street or accumulates delays in other deliveries before yours… There you are, bored sitting in a chair, waiting all day.
An alternative reason for taking casual leave: gas check.
The inspector can only come in midmorning. He doesn’t give you time to go to work for a little while and come home. You have to be there because you don’t talk to the neighbours and you can’t ask them for a favour. Also, your family lives in another city.
The inspector, like the courier and the delivery man, will arrive whenever he wants.
Taking casual leave due to a tragedy at home
There was a short circuit that caused a large fire. The gas cylinder exploded. A pipe burst and you have the bathroom flooded and the wooden floor of the living room about to rot with so much water everywhere.
Worse still, there was a natural catastrophe with torrential rains. With this you will not go in a week, your house is full of mud.
An alternative reason for taking casual leave: house keys
You don’t know where the keys are. You have no more copies. And neither does your parents or the neighbour.
Taking casual leave due to personal reasons
It is best to say that you take the day for personal reasons. Which is true right? You were partying at night, that you did not sleep and that you have a hangover.
You can be smart by saying that you have to do paperwork. It is already known that officials need their time to put a stamp on a piece of paper. They may even send you more papers to review!
Final tips
- Don’t be constantly missing work – In the end, no one will believe your excuses. Both your superiors and your colleagues will end up getting angry with you. Do not forget that a high percentage of absenteeism could be cause for dismissal.
- Notify first thing in the morning. Don’t give too much detail. Lies have very short legs. A liar is caught sooner than you may think.
- Write down all the excuses you give for not repeating them. Remember them. After three months someone may ask you if you are better after the death of your dog or if there is already a sentence in the process in which they cite you as a witness.
- Be discreet. When you are absent, do not rush to write on social networks that you are at home watching Netflix.
- Don’t go to the pool or the beach. The tan is very poorly concealed. Also, you may meet someone from the office down the street and then what?
- Watch your diet when you return to work. If you said you had food poisoning or any other stomach illness, watch your diet when you return to work. This way you will not raise suspicions among your colleagues or in HR.
- If you miss a Monday or Friday, it is usually bad. It will be very noticeable that you wanted to extend the weekend. It is better to fall ill on a Wednesday or Thursday and prolong it with Friday.
Do you have any good reasons for taking casual leave? Don’t hesitate to share them with us!
FAQ on List of reasons for taking casual leave
What should be the reason for casual leave?
The reason for casual leave should be usually an emergency (illness or injury, family or pets emergencies, house incidents, etc.) or you could take casual leave for personal reasons, for a mental health day for example.
How do I take leave for personal reasons?
To take leave for personal reasons you have to ring your employer or talk with HR and let them know how much time you need and when you plan to return to work. Some employers offer a certain number of days for personal leave per year. Avail of those if included in the contract!
How can I write casual leave?
When writing a casual leave letter you have to explain the reason for this request, whether it is a family emergency or a personal reason. Mention the period for which you will be taking the leave and when do you plan to come back. It is also important to provide contact details so that the employer can reach you if there is an emergency at work or just to check up on you.
Is Sunday included in casual leave?
Sundays are not included in casual leave. Weekends, holidays and bank holidays are not counted as casual leave unless you specifically had to work on that day.
References
Indeed.com
Salesforce.com
my.hr.gov.nt.ca
