Family Emergency Leave Letter

Sometimes, emergency situations in the family can pop up even in the most well-ordered lives. These stressful situations do not mix well with work, often creating a choice between taking good care of your family and focusing on your work. The best thing to do is take an emergency leave of absence from work for a determined number of days. In this case, you should write a family emergency leave letter to inform your employers of the situation.
Format and Content

There is no single correct family emergency leave letter format, but the typical style is a formal business letter which gives a brief summary of the emergency, the expected date of return, your contact information and any other important details that could be pertinent to the situation. Some companies may have policies which require proof of the emergency, so be sure to familiarize yourself with your employer’s leave policies.
Sample

This is a family emergency leave letter sample written by an employee whose sister has unexpectedly collapsed and been hospitalized. He writes a formal letter to his employers to let them know he must take an unexpected leave and gives a date for his return along with a brief summary of the situation. He uses a formal and professional writing style, paying attention to proper grammar, and remembers to give his contact information. He sends a copy to both his supervisor and the company head of the human resources department so that the letter will be put on his file.
Dear Mrs. Jones,

I am writing this letter to inform you of my taking an urgent and unexpected leave of absence due to an emergency in the family. I have just gotten word that my sister has collapsed and I am heading to the hospital to be with her and take care of the family. I plan to return to work a week from now, May 8, 2014. I feel confident that my current projects will not suffer from such a short absence and that my work history speaks for itself as far as my ability to make up for lost time. The staff has already been alerted of the situation and briefed on their responsibilities for the duration of my leave.

I can be contacted during my leave via telephone at (555)-555-5555 and email at [email] Please leave me a message if there are any questions or concerns and I will try to respond in a timely manner. I thank you for your consideration as this emergency leave will enable me to both care for my family members in this urgent situation and focus on my work more clearly once I return.

I appreciate your assistance in this matter and look forward to hearing your response.

Yours sincerely,

Jason J. Hernandez

Regional Manager

Columbus Branch

Smith Communications