Simplify staff management with this free, printable time-off request form template PDF.
Kate needs Tuesday off in two weeks. John swears he asked for this weekend off a month ago – didn’t you see the sticky note? Your best bartender suddenly thinks he needs the holiday weekend off. How can you keep track of it all?
The good news is you don’t have to worry about missing requests when you have a standard method for staff to request time off. Download our employee time-off request form template PDF and say goodbye to misplaced sticky notes.
Keep reading to learn what an employee time-off request form template is, why your restaurant should use one, and how to fill it out.
What Is an Employee Time-Off Request Form Template?
A time-off request form template is a document that your employees fill out to ask for periods of time (such as certain hours, days, or weeks) off from work.
Why Should Your Restaurant Use an Employee Time-Off Request Form Template?
Whether you have five employees or 500, our printable time-off request form template PDF can benefit your business.
First things first: implementing a system for managing time-off requests will streamline the process. Post-it notes get misplaced and verbal requests get forgotten. With a formal, written system like a standardized time-off request template, you can avoid miscommunication and the misplacement of requests.
A time-off request template also helps you keep track of employees’ time off. Keep these forms after you process requests and record how many vacation, personal, and floater days your staff members have used to make sure they aren’t taking more than they’ve accrued.
Finally, time-off request forms help you avoid labor compliance headaches in the same way that other restaurant HR forms do. When you keep excellent records of who is working when, you can optimize employee schedules, keep overtime in check, and make things easier if you get audited for your labor compliance practices.
How to Fill Out an Employee Time-Off Request Form Template
Best of all, a time-off request template is incredibly easy to use! Here’s how to fill out our printable employee time-off request form template PDF.
Employee Information
The employee requesting time off should fill out their name at the top of the form. They also need to write the name of their manager or supervisor. Doing so will help your restaurant stay organized if you have multiple managers.
Time-Off Request Table
Your employee should use this table to describe when they want to take time off. Because it’s a table, they can submit multiple requests at once.
They need to fill out their requested time-off start date(s), time off end date(s), the total number of days requested, and input a reason code for their absence.
Reason Codes for Days Off
A reason code makes it easy for employees to ask for time off without having to go into personal details about their plans. Additionally, abbreviated codes simplify tracking how many of each type of day off your employee has taken over a certain period of time.
V (Vacation Day): Use this for paid vacation time.
F (Floater Day): Use this code when an employee works a holiday shift, and you want to give them another day off to use in place of the holiday they worked.
PL (Personal Leave Paid): If your time-off policy distinguishes between paid personal leave and paid vacation, use this code to let staff members account for things like paid time off for sick days, family obligations, or medical appointments.
PU (Personal Leave Unpaid): Use this code for unpaid personal days.
O (Other): For reasons that don’t fit into any other category, ask team members to use this reason code.
Feel free to customize these reason codes to fit your restaurant’s needs.
Approval and Sign Off
The employee requesting time off should sign this form before they submit it.
After a manager decides whether or not to approve the time off request, they should check the corresponding box, and then sign the form and return it to the employee.
To get started, download our printable employee time-off request form template PDF for restaurants today.
