List of reasons for taking casual leave (13 reasons)

In this guide, we will discuss a list of reasons for taking casual leave and some templates of letters on how to ask/request your employer (e.g. boss or line manager) for casual leave.

While we may have genuine emergency reasons or situations we need to take care as soon as possible, we also understand how sometimes we just need a day off from work even if we don’t really have anything urgent to attend.

Try to have open and effective communication with your employer instead of having to come up with crazy excuses to take one day off work.

List of reasons for taking casual leave

Here is a list of some of the reasons for taking casual leave:

• Someone at-home is sick (e.g. your husband, mother, father, son, daughter, etc.)
• Adverse House situations. You are urgently needed at home because there was a fire, structural damage to your home, a flooded bathroom, etc.
• A relative is going to live abroad.
• A dentist’s appointment.
• Excessive job-related stress.
• Bereavement leave.
• Emergency medical procedure
• You have an important appointment with your doctor that you totally forgot about.
• Daycare child problems
• Relative’s wedding.
• Suffered from an accident.
• Loss or theft.

But what is exactly a casual leave application?

It is used when an employee needs a temporary break from work for personal reasons.

It usually involved writing a letter to your boss on the line manager, demonstrating professionalism.

If you have personal (urgent) reasons that make it impossible or difficult to go to work then these samples will help you write the perfect application.  

However, consider how depending on your company’s policies, you may simply be able to ask for some time off directly to your boss or maybe there is a formal process where you need to request your leave of absence and wait to get approval.

In some cases, you may be entitled to leave of absence depending on the circumstance and then a different procedure is required if you get some employment benefits because of it.

This is why it is important to check your eligibility before you ask for casual leave (or any other type of leave).

If possible, explore options for taking leave if your employer is not able to give you the time you requested.

For instance, you can explore the option to reduce your hours (partial leave) or consider working remotely than having a full leave.

Hopefully, you are requesting the casual leave application for the right reasons but we do understand how sometimes you just need a break from work for a day or a few days and feel compelled to come up with a good ‘excuse’ to be able to take a leave of absence.

Honesty is your best suit so if you are feeling too stressed, be honest with your supervisor and let him/her know how you are feeling. 

Note: consider how taking casual leave may implicate you will have to take unpaid leave (unless stated otherwise by your company), meaning no compensation whatsoever.

1. Casual Leave Application 

Date

Subject: Casual Leave for Employee (reason, e.g. medical emergency)

Dear Mr./Mrs. (Recipient’s Name),

I am writing to apply for a casual leave of absence for (amount of days) from (start date) to (end-date) since I have to attend a close relative’s medical emergency. I will have to be away from the city/country for (x amount of days) since my relative lives in (name of the city/country). I expect to resume my work on the mentioned date.

I will be available on my cell phone at 555-555-555 or email xxxx@xxxx.com. During my absence, the person in charge of my duties is (name of the person). 

I will be very grateful to you for considering my request.

Yours Sincerely,

(Your Name)

2. Casual Leave Application (stress relief application)

We know how stress can negatively impact our performance at work. This is why taking at least one day as a ‘casual day off’ every now and then can help improve your physical and mental health.

Here is an example of how to start your casual leave application:

“Please accept this letter as my request for casual leave. Due to the huge workload in the previous weeks, I have been unable to find time to relieve work stress. The high-stress levels have also caused my work performance to deteriorate.

Now that I have submitted the projects, I have some free time in my work schedule. I would like to take a casual leave to relieve the stress and return to work with a fresh mind. My request is for you to grant me a day off on ‘Date’.

I hope you will accept my request and grant me a day off from work. Waiting for a positive reply.”

3. Casual Leave Application (Family Issues)

If you need to deal with a family emergency you can use the following sample to let your employer know you need some time off to take care of your relative:

“This letter is an application for my leave on ‘Date’. Due to some family issues, I was unable to attend work. Explain the issue with some details, for example, I had to take my mother to the hospital as an emergency patient, etc.

I would like to claim my day off on ‘Date’ as casual leave. I hope for you to understand my situation and accept my request for casual leave. Waiting for a positive reply.”

4. Casual Leave Application 

“George Jenkins

1245 James Avenue

Pocatello, ID 83201

(000) 123-1234

gjenkins@email.com

April 6, 2020

Ms. Janice Smith

Supervisor

ABC Company

9876 Industry Avenue

Pocatello, ID 83201

Dear Ms. Smith:

I would like to request a thirty-day leave of absence for personal reasons. If possible, I would like to leave work on May 1 and return on June 1.

If approved, I will be traveling during this time period, but I would be glad to assist with any questions via email or phone.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,

George Jenkins (signature on hard copy letter)

George Jenkins”

5. Casual Leave Application (medical reasons)

“This is a letter to request for casual leave. For the past few days, I have been suffering through some medical issues and have been admitted to the hospital. During this time, I claimed all of my sick leaves, however, I am still unwell and will not be able to attend work.

I would like to request you to allow me to claim at least three days off out of my causal leaves. I will be allowed to attend work after these three days on ‘Date’. You will find my Doctor’s application attached to this letter.

I hope for you to understand my situation and accept my request. Looking forward to a positive reply.”

6. Casual Leave application

“Subject: Casual Leave Required

Dear Mr./Mrs. {Recipient’s Name},

I wish to inform you that I have to go with my younger daughter to her school for the Annual Day function tomorrow. As the function will run from morning to evening, I would not be able to attend the office.

I have instructed {colleague’s name} with regard to the details of the projects I have been handling. She is well-equipped to handle them if need be. In addition, I shall be available on the phone and email for any important or urgent issues.

I kindly request you to grant me a day’s leave.

Yours Sincerely,

{Your Name}”

Good Excuses to Miss Work on Short Notice

Here are some good reasons to miss work on short notice:

• You are suffering from food poisoning.
• Your back or other muscles or body parts are sore. You have to deal with an emergency at home.
• You’re experiencing car trouble.
• You can’t find appropriate childcare.
• Your child is ill.
• There is an issue with your home you need to tackle.
• You have a medical appointment that got moved up.
• You have to go to a workshop or class related to work.
• A work client fixed a meeting you can’t avoid.
• Your pet is sick or has an appointment. 
• You’re locked out of your house.
• You’re expecting a major delivery for your house.
• You have unexpected visitors.
• You’re donating blood.
• You’re observing a religious holiday.
• You have to prepare for a religious holiday
• You have a toothache.

Most of the good reasons to miss work on short notice usually have to do with illness or taking care of family members, and when the reason is something like that, there may not be as many queries about them either.

Additionally, there are some instances in which you have legally sound good reasons to miss work on short notice, for instance, the Family and Medical Leave Act says that if you are unable to find adequate childcare, especially in cases where your child is an infant and you are still in the postpartum period, you may be entitled to taking time off without having to explain why.

Since a lot of these reasons don’t apply right now because the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed all work into work from home, here are some good reasons to miss work with short notice in a work from home situation:

• Your pet is sick
• You are sick
• Someone in your family is sick
• You have to take some time off for a religious ritual
• You need to fix your electronic equipment.
• You need to see a dentist/other medical appointment.
• You need to attend to your home.

Valid Reasons To Call Out of Work

Here are some of the most valid reasons to call out of work:

• You are experiencing stress and anxiety from work.
• You need to take a Mental Health Day. 
• You are recovering from an illness. 
• You Have a Doctor’s Appointment. 
• You need to see a dentist.
• Someone in your family is Sick.
• You need to take care of your child.
• You need to take care of your dog.
• Someone in your extended family died.
• You need to help a friend out with something.
• You Have a Family Emergency. 
• There is some emergency with your home.
• You are experiencing transportation problems.
• You have to take part in a religious ceremony.

Calling out of work refers to a leave that is usually a day long, and might not go beyond that barring more unusual circumstances like if you are sick and not able to recover quickly enough.

Most valid reasons to call out of work revolve around illness or short term problems that resolve in a day or at the most two.

To ensure you have valid reasons to call out of work, you can see if your reasons match any of the following types:

• Does it sound like something that could not possibly happen to you?
• Is the reason unnecessarily convoluted and complicated?
• Do you use this reason frequently?
• Do you think your boss will be understanding about this reason?
• If the reason is false, would giving the real reason mean that you don’t get the time off?

Usually, if you find that you are giving reasons that are constantly false or too complicated or downright unthinkable, they may not be valid reasons to call out of work and you should reconsider why you really want to call out of work at all.

If going to work is filling you with dread and anxiety, then you might want to consider a career change or a longer leave of absence instead of calling out of work every so often and putting more stress on yourself to make up for work you keep missing.

Why is this blog about a list of reasons for taking casual leave important?

Here we discussed a list of reasons for taking casual leave but make sure before you request/apply for it, to check with your company first if there are any procedures or policies you may follow.

Also, remember that this may mean ‘unpaid leave’ for the number of days requested and even more so, consider if your request gets declined by your employer. 

Here we compiled some templates on how you could ask for casual leave yourself. Just make sure you make some adjustments to the letter, proofread, print, and sign it. 

Please feel free to leave any comments or thoughts about the content of this article!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about a list of reasons for taking casual leave

References 

Prasanna. (2020, Mar.) Casual Leave Application – How to Write Casual Leave Application for Office, School, College. Retrieved from Aplustopper.com.

Wordexceltemplates.com: “Office Casual Leave Applications”

Namasteui.com: “Best Excuses for taking one day leave from office”

Naukri.com: “Casual Leave Application Samples (For Office)”

Doyle, A. (2020, Apr.) How to Request a Leave of Absence From Work. retrieved from Thebalancecareers.com.