Leave of Absence: Meaning, Rules & Examples
Updated 4 min read
Definition
A leave of absence is approved time away from work, with the job kept open for the employee’s return.
Listen to this article
What Is a Leave of Absence?
What turns time off into approved leave is permission, not pay.
A leave of absence is approved time away from work, with the job kept open for the employee’s return. It can be paid or unpaid. In India, the Model Standing Orders, 2026, made under section 29 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, use the phrase for leave a worker applies for and set how each request is answered.
In many HR teams, the phrase means the longer kind: weeks or months off once the regular leave balance has run out.
Common Reasons Employees Ask for Leave
Whether the request comes from a hospital nurse, a bank cashier or a machine operator, it usually falls into one of a few groups:
- Medical: recovery from surgery or a long illness, once sick leave is used up
- Family care: looking after a parent, spouse or child through an illness
- Study: an exam, a course or a certification
- Personal: a wedding, a move or a family emergency
Some long absences are legal rights with their own rules, such as maternity benefit under the Code on Social Security. That is an entitlement, not a favour, and the employer cannot simply refuse it.
How to Apply and Get Approval
The standing orders apply where 300 or more workers are employed, and they set a clear sequence:
- Apply early. The worker applies at least seven days before the leave starts.
- Get an answer in time. The officer issues an order within a week, or two days before the leave begins.
- Short notice. If the leave starts within three days, the worker gives reasons, and the order comes the same day.
- Refusal in writing. A refusal or postponement, with reasons, must be in writing.
- Extension. The worker applies again, and the reply must arrive before the original leave ends.
Leave cannot be claimed as a matter of right, and a worker on leave may not take up other paid work. In Attendo (formerly Petpooja Payroll), each request can route through an approval chain you set, such as reporting manager, department head and HR.
Leave of Absence vs Absenteeism
| Aspect | Approved leave | Absenteeism |
|---|---|---|
| Permission | Given in advance | None, or too late |
| Job | Kept open | Kept, but at risk |
| Pay | Paid or unpaid by policy | Can be deducted |
| Record | Leave | Absent |
The same day off can sit in either column. Approval moves it from a problem on the muster roll to a planned gap.
Leave of Absence Example
A footwear factory in Lucknow (an example) with 340 workers gets a request from a stitching machine operator. His father needs hip surgery, and he wants three weeks off from 10 August 2026, unpaid, as his earned leave is used up.
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| 1 August | Applies, 9 days ahead |
| 3 August | Approved, unpaid |
| 25 August | Asks for one more week |
| 27 August | Extension approved |
Note: this is an invented example for illustration only. The factory, the employee and the dates are made up.
Each step falls inside the standing orders’ timings, and the extension reply reaches him before 30 August, when the first approval ends. His unpaid days come off August and September pay, but none of them counts as absence.
Putting the Rules in Your Leave Policy
Below 300 workers, your leave policy decides most of this, so it should answer five things: who approves, how much notice, the longest leave allowed, paid or unpaid, and how an extension works. Our guide to preparing a leave policy shows the format.