When a family emergency happens or a family member is has come down with a serious illness, it is understood that you want to be by their side through it all. Employers have a plan of action to help employees take time off of work to be with their family in these situations. Several measures have to be taken to request the leave. The first step in requesting a leave of absences is to write a letter.

The letter written should have the proper heading and addressed to the correct person. The letter should have your name, company you work for, address, contact information listed, and the date. Then it should have the name of the person its for, their title, and name of the company they work for. The letter should also have listed by the addressee’s name what it is regarding.

Since the letter is regarding taking leave from your job, certain information regarding the event is important. Because it is a personal matter, the information offered should be brief and strait to the point. The letter does not have to go into great detail about why the specific medical condition. The letter should just state what the reasoning of the leave it and let them know documentation from the doctor can be provided upon request.

The employer will want to see doctor documentation for the reasoning of absence. This should not be given with the letter, unless otherwise specified by the regulation of the employer. The doctor preforming the immediate care for the family member or even their primary care physician that does the follow ups is the doctor you will speak to filling out the necessary paperwork the employer wants filled out. This paperwork will be given to you at the time of leave requested or shortly there after.

In the letter of application for leave it is smart to advise the employer that you did reach out to other resources for assistance with the loved one. Again, this can be a brief statement. There is no need to go into detail about it. If the employer requests other information, they will make sure to request it in further paperwork provided.

One of the most important pieces of information provided is the start date and end date. The letter should stay the specific date the leave is to begin and a return date that it will be over. If the loved one is not well enough to return by the end date specified, additional steps can be taken to get the leave of absence extended.

Throughout the process of getting leave approved your immediate boss will be able to refer you to the proper department to manage the steps involved. While on leave, it is important to keep in touch with your boss. This does not mean you will have to give more information out than what is documented. If there’s additional leave is needed, it is important to take the proper measures for the approval.