What to do if my reporter asks for long leave?

"Life is what happens when you're making other plans" - John Lennon

Situations arise in life out of nowhere, all of a sudden, and would demand all our attention and presence. An emergency would have arisen for your reporter demanding his full presence and thus urging them to take long leave, hence demanding yours! We have all been there or will be there. But, is this that kind of emergency? What should I do about it?

Follow the given steps that would help you handle the situation.

1. Get all the necessary details

2. Schedule a Follow-up

3. Make a Decision

4. Offer a helping hand

Get all details

1. Purpose - What's the purpose of the leave? Is it an emergency that requires their whole presence?

2. Duration - How long are they looking forward to avail leave? Is it planned for the upcoming months, or is it an immediate requirement?

3. Official leave metrics - How much of the leave do they already own, and what portion of the leave are they expecting you to grant?

4. Available alternatives - What alternatives have they planned to balance the situation? Is there any other solution you can find for them from your experience?

5. Willingness for a non-paid break - Are they willing to take a non-paid break if it isn't a financial emergency? Or is it only to avail maximum benefits from employment?

6. Their seriousness in the issue - Is it a really serious issue? Are they being honest? And are they willing to do anything to take the time off?

7. Necessary Documents - If you are unsure what documents will be required from the reporter in case of a medical emergency, you can check with your HR and let know. Many companies don't even bother about this! So, don't get all worked up!

8. Their plan of managing their current priorities - Though you need to take a call on managing the projects, you can get their perspective of handling the issue. It will also kindle a sense of ownership to your reporter.

9. Work from home option - Some emergencies don't require 24/7 support. Ask them if they have considered work from home option if remote work is possible for their role.

10. Their availability during the leave, if crucial - If they are on a high priority project with close deadlines, see if they can support the person shadowing them when they are on their leave? If their purpose of the leave is very genuine, I don't think this needs to be asked.

11. Will they be leaving the organization once they are back? - Employees generally tend to use the maximum benefits before quitting a company. It varies from one employee to another. So try to understand if they are looking to change the company and if that's exactly why they want a break.

Schedule a follow-up

Let them know that you need to:

1. Talk to your manager

2. Discuss with HR Partner

3. Work on how to balance the current priorities

and get back to them shortly.

Schedule a follow-up meeting or reminder and be the first person to approach your reporter, before they get back to you again on this. This will help earn trust and loyalty from your reporter.

Make a decision

What is the purpose of the break?

Understand the purpose of the break. Try to empathize with your employee. If it is a dire emergency,

1. They are going to quit the job

2. In the worst financial scenario, they may find an alternative temporarily and eventually quit when after getting another job.

Put yourself in their shoes and analyze what would you want your manager to do!

How much value do they add to the organization?

If they are a highly valuable resource, who put their best skills into action consistently to get work done, then I am unsure why you're reading this! Try all possible ways to support them! Oh yeah, now the question is, what if the resource is not of much worth? I get it. Attitude is the differentiator! If they are always trying their best to become a better version of themselves every day, they are a valuable resource! Remember, 70% of skilled workers are not motivated at work. So, if you have such a resource, do all that you can to retain them.

How long have they worked here?

Though we are now in an era that is highly agile, we cannot forget our moral values. If an employee has been contributing to the company for years, they do deserve a long break. Chances are high that they have already saved a lot of leaves. So why think much? Give them their deserving break!

What does your manager feel about it?

If you are new to the organization, or if the employee has stayed in the organization for a long duration, it means your manager would have a better opinion on what needs to be done. If your manager was also replaced recently, you can sure check with the last manager if they had just shifted teams, or your peers or teammates to understand your employee before taking the call.

How will their current priorities be taken care of?

The resource being in a highly critical project that is going to be launched in a week, and them having an emergency is going to be a rare case scenario. As mentioned above, you can just check if their plan of backup is fine, or if you have a better solution.

First, analyze what projects can be deprioritized immediately. Then, work through to find the minimal number of resource that needs to be adjusted. Generally, all projects have a Primary and Secondary ownerships so that the project never fails because of a resource. If you don't follow that practice, take it as a learning, and ensure to put the process in place.

How are the monetary benefits going to be for them in their absence?

The pay is going to be dependent on the Company's policy, or on you (the Manager in case of big MNCs). If you have a part to play, make sure you do your best to compensate them well. Else, it is only going to show up on their behavior when they are back. Whether or not they are grateful for it, you know you have helped a person in need using your influence. Good deeds come back! :)

How will it impact the organization if they quit on denial of leave?

If you are going to stubborn about them not taking their time off, there are high chances that they may quit. What would be the impact on the organization in that case? Wouldn't it be costlier for you to hire and train another employee? Is it not better to grant their plea? Have they been so bad to the organization? Be thoughtful!!

Offer a Helping Hand

This is off the track. Forget you are their manager. What would you do if you were their friend and were connected outside of work? Show empathy, and offer a helping hand outside the company. See if you can find some solutions or alternatives for them. Remember, you are not doing this for them. You are only doing this because you are a good human being!

The decision is totally yours. We sincerely hope the above points helped you to make that decision!!