What is Short Leave? | Meaning & Definition

If you work in an organized sector as an employee or run a business, then you must be aware of your right to leave. Two types of leaves are most common: casual leave and sick leave. However, other than these two leaves, there are other types of leaves as well, like maternity leave, paternity leave, etc.

However, a type of leave that you may not know about is short leave. Do you know about this type of leave? If not, then read this blog to know everything about this type of leave.

What is short leave?

Short leave refers to leave that is shorter than any leave that is provided to the employee by the employer under labor laws. Now, how long is a short leave? While there is no mention of the short leave in the labor laws or how long it can be, it is mostly referred to as an absence of 2-3 hours. 

In simple words, short leave is not mandatory leave for employees. It is only when the employer allows you to take it. The nature of the leave is also not predefined. However, mostly, a short leave is not prone to any deduction, meaning it’s considered as a paid leave. 

However, in that case, the employee may not be given the grace of work that is normally given to other lives. For example, if the employee has a target to reach every day, then taking a short leave may not give any relaxation to reach the target. 

What are the reasons for taking a short leave?

See, there are no predefined reasons for taking a short break. However, it’s mostly taken for urgency or in cases where taking a full leave of absence makes no sense. Here are a few such reasons why you can request a short leave:

1) Personal Reasons

Reasons like feeling sick or any other personal reason can be valid to take a short leave. For example, if you are having a little bit of fever but it’s not too critical you can recover from it in 2-3 hours. In such a case, you can inform your employer or manager about your condition and take a leave of absence for 2-3 hours. 

2) Festival or Other Events

India is a nation where festivals come almost every month. Moreover, on almost every festival, the employees get a holiday. However, in some cases, the company may not provide a festival holiday. It’s mostly when the festival is not too significant. So, you can take a short leave for this reason as well. For example, if there’s a festival that requires you to be at home for a few hours to pray or celebrate, then a short leave makes sense. Similarly, if you are organizing a program at home, then you can take a short leave. 

3) Appointments

Let’s say you have an appointment with a doctor that will take only 2 hours, including the visit, wait time, and consultation. So, what’ll you do in the meantime? You can get back to work. Yes, if you have an appointment in advance, then you can inform your employer about it and ask for a short leave.

4) Natural Incident

Sometimes you may not be able to reach the office on time due to the weather outside, like heavy rain. In such cases, you can take a short leave and ask to come to the office as soon as the weather gets better. 

Good to Read:- Types of Leaves in India–Know All about the Leaves at Work

How to ask for a short leave?

Since a short leave is not credited to your account every month, it depends on whether your employer will allow you a short leave or not. So, it’s important to ask for it politely. Here is how you can politely ask for a short leave. 

Firstly, ask your manager for a short leave for the day you want it. State a valid reason for it and give a time frame for how long the leave will be. You should be sure of the time that it’ll take. For example, if you want a leave for 3 hours and be committed to it. 

Also, make sure that all your pending work is already completed and that no urgent work is required from your side in the organization. As your manager verbally approves the short leave, write a formal email stating your absence for the said amount of time. It’s important to build a record of your absence in the organization. 

How is a short leave different from a half-day leave?

As we discussed, a short leave is when you’re away from work for just a few hours, like for a quick appointment. It’s short and doesn’t take up much of the workday. On the other hand, a half-day leave means you’re gone for about half of the normal work hours, usually around four hours. This type of leave is for when you need more time, maybe for a longer appointment or a family event. Moreover, a half-day leave is deducted from your casual leaves, meaning two such leaves are equal to one casual leave. 

Wrapping Up

To sum up, a short leave is not a leave that is regulated under labor laws, but it is still applicable. If you have a valid reason and have completed your pending work, then using this leave is better than using your casual leave. Saving your casual leave is the right decision because you can add it up and use it later when you need a long absence from work.