In a medical leave of absence letter, an employee formally documents a request for time off from work due to medical or health reasons.
Addressing the employer, the employee states the reason behind his request of absence. Before writing this letter and demanding for a medical leave, it is very important that an employee knows the company policy in this regard and make a request accordingly.
In three scenarios, medical leaves can be taken:
- If the employee is sick himself.
- If he has to take Maternity/paternity leave.
- If he has to take care of his parents or other family members.
When requesting a medical leave and writing a letter for that purpose, an employee should be considerate about the following, among other things, to increase chances of request acceptance.
- Make sure you are eligible for a medical leave.
- Usually, it is better to communicate informally and orally to your employer about your leave before writing a formal letter.
- The medical leave should be applied well before time.
- The employee should have a grip on company policy (so you request accordingly) and the protective laws (so you know your rights).
- The letter should be concise, professional and convincing.
- The reasons behind the medical leave should be associated with strong justifications. Supporting documents such as doctor notes may help as well.
- If the leave gets rejected, the employee should have a plan B. For instance, offering work from home or reducing the number of medical leave days, etc.
To make a medical leave letter credible, usually, a medical certificate is attached along with it.
A medical certificate is a document from a licensed doctor/healthcare professional in which the physician, who has treated the employee, states employee’s medical conditions and provides an evidence of why medical leave is required.
If an employee is not available for work due to some health issues, it is always recommended that a medical leave letter is provided to the employer. There are various benefits of providing this document:
- A documented proof is always professional and useful.
- The employer cannot fire the employee based on allowed absenteeism.
- The employee can use this letter in case of threats of firing from the employer as law and company policy protects employees for a certain number of off days as well as states the requirement of payment.
- The letter goes in the employee file which can be helpful in employee assessment and evaluation rather than getting the blame of absence for no reason.
Different companies follow different policies for medical leave. However, there are certain general features applicable to every company’s policy.
In addition, there are laws, such as Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which companies must incorporate in their policies.
For instance, a company can offer paid or unpaid medical leaves, however, it has to offer the number of paid medical leaves stated in the law.
Another example is FMLA allows 12 weeks per year as medical leave and the company must hold employee’s position for this long. The company cannot simply terminate the contract if an employee has gone on medical leave without considering the law.
The general policies also include the procedure of applying for medical leave and the provision of required documents such as doctor’s note. These policies are stated in the employee handbook of the company.
Medical Leave Application Letter
Dear Mr. Greg,
I, Watson Smith, want to request a medical leave of two weeks starting from 20th July 2018. I had a sudden appendix operation on 19th July 2018 when I experienced a pain at night and immediately had to get operated.
My doctor has suggested a bed rest of two weeks and I shall be coming back on 4th August 2018. I am attaching my doctor’s note with this letter.
I have communicated to my assistant manager, Mr. Walker John, and he will be taking responsibility for my work and handling the clients till I return to work. If any help is required, I will be available on phone [555-5555] or email [Email].
I will be happy to provide any further documents in support of this letter. Your consideration in approving my medical leave would be highly appreciated.
Regards,
Watson Smith
Medical Leave Letter from Doctor
Dear Mr. Smith,
I, Lopez John, am writing this letter to notify that your employee, Steven Greg, is suffering from a severe viral infection that has affected his throat, and nose. His fever is also not coming down since yesterday. He is feeling very weak and the medications will require some time for his recovery.
I want to make a request to grant him a medical leave for one week starting 25th July 2018. Further, I was informed by him that he works in HR which involves him in a constant interaction with a lot of people. Mr. Greg is suffering from a contagious disease and other employees can easily catch that.
I suggest that he should return to work when he is completely fine. His follow-up visit on the 30th of July 2018 will make things clearer. I can provide his assessment report or any other document that is required for your record. You can contact me or my staff anytime between 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. (Monday-Friday).
Your attention to and approval of this medical leave would be highly appreciated.
Regards,
Lopez John.
Medical Emergency Leave Request Letter
Dear Mr. Meyers,
I, Steven Brown, am writing this letter to request a leave for an emergency in the family. My daughter was playing with her friends at school when she had an accident and the basketball hit her head. It immediately started bleeding and the school arranged to take her to the Daycare Hospital.
I got informed about this emergency just 10 minutes back around 11:00 a.m. I am sorry about making a leave request on such a short notice. I request you to grant me a leave for today and I will return to work as soon as everything gets under control.
I have asked Mr. Smith John to deal with my clients today and provide you with the details. If you want to contact me, feel free to call me at [CONTACT].
I hope you will consider my emergency and approve my leave for today. I apologize for any inconvenience.
Regards,
Steven Brown.
Long Medical Leave Request Letter
Dear Mr. Brown,
I, Joe Smith, am writing this letter to make a request for a medical leave for two months from 3rd July 2018-3rd September 2018.
I was having a complaint of knee pain since last month, but I ignored it. However, when it became unbearable, I went into emergency on 21st June 2018 at 2:00 a.m. After examination, the doctor suggested immediate knee surgery. The doctor has further informed me that after surgery, I will not be able to walk and will be on complete bed rest for two months which is why I am requesting for this medical leave. I am attaching my doctor’s assessment report and prescription with this letter.
I am working on a project that will be completed on 27th June 2018 and therefore, I have booked an appointment for surgery on 3rd July 2018.
I will be available on the phone [555-5555] and email [Email]. I have requested my assistant, Mr. Ross Phillips, to fulfill my responsibilities in my absence. I will be in constant touch with him after a week of my surgery.
If you need any more documents, feel free to contact me. Your approval of this long medical leave would be highly appreciated.
Regards,
Joe Smith.
Sick leave letter for one or two days off
Format: MS Word [.docx] | Download