Q: We have a diverse workforce with employees from many nationalities. Over the years, several employees with families overseas (New Zealand, Australia) have requested an extra week of unpaid leave in addition to their 2 week vacation in order to extend their trip to 3 weeks. All requests were approved.
Now, I have an employee making the same request (to be out for 3 weeks) but it has nothing to do with travel. He is planning a DIY home remodel project instead. I’m afraid if I approve it, these requests will become more common, can I just say no?
A: Of course you can, but it wouldn’t be fair. More on why later.
Most companies have a policy in place that provides the flexibility to approve unpaid leave requests -at the company’s own discretion– and as long as the absence doesn’t disrupt business. In my experience, I’ve seen leaves approved for up to 4 weeks for oversea visits.
Why are companies willing to approve such leave? In some cases, when these employees are in hard-to-fill highly specialized jobs, companies use this perk to improve retention. But the main reason companies do it is because it’s easy to empathize with someone making such a long journey and paying such a high price tag. It’s natural to want to help them get the most out of it.
Enter your amateur-builder employee. Why do I think it would be unfair to deny his request? I would argue that his request for extra leave has many similarities -and therefore the same merits- as those traveling overseas. For starters he’s probably spending the same (or more) on this project as others do on travel. And, between renting special equipment, hiring helpers, working long days and the stress of construction, I think remodeling can be as financially, physically and emotionally exhausting as going overseas. So unless there’s a business reason not to, you should approve it.
Going forward, I wouldn’t worry that saying yes to him would lead to frivolous requests for leave without pay. Most employees need their full salaries to live and can’t go without pay on a whim.
So follow your policy, be consistent and consider each request on its own merit. Don’t be afraid. Be fair.
© Copyright Eva Del Rio
Eva Del Rio is creator of HR Box™ – tools for small businesses and startups. Send questions to Eva@evadelrio.com
