As we know there are two types of leave application:
Asking for leave of absence for days that have passed, ie, writing after being absent.
Leave of absence for days that are yet to come, ie, writing before being absent.
But being a learner, I use the sentence:
Kindly grant me a leave of absence for the days aforementioned.
in both the case, ie, 1 and 2.
Is it natural?
Is the phrase "leave of absence" can be used in both the cases?
Thanks in advance.
Leave of absence is an expression meaning permission to be absent.
We don't talk about a leave of absence (British English) - just leave of absence.
If you wish to be away from your place of employment, you would normally just ask for leave (or to take leave), rather than leave of absence.
Assuming that your employer has already agreed your leave entitlement, you would normally ask/apply to take leave from X day to Y day, whether for your total leave entitlement or just a portion of it.
If you are due leave for a period when you continued to work without taking the leave you were entitled to, for example the previous year, you might say that you are owed (retrospective) leave for the period concerned and that you wish to take it from X day to Y day (or to be paid in lieu of leave).
Your suggestion: Kindly grant me leave of absence for the days aforementioned is rather formal. Prefer: May I take (retrospective?) leave (for the two week period) from x date to y date?
I suspect you’re asking about BrE, but I’ll address AmE here for completeness since the usage seems to be quite different.
In AmE, “leave” or “a leave of absence” is only used for extended periods, typically without pay unlike “sick days” or “vacation”. This must be requested in advance. If you don’t show up to work for a week or more without any contact, you will typically be fired in absentia, so requesting leave afterward is not a possibility.
Some requests for leave cannot be denied, such as family leave (which includes what was formerly called maternity leave), medical leave and military leave; employees are required by law to grant these and hold your job for your return, but you still have to formally request them before you go for those protections to apply.
Other requests for leave, such as “personal leave” or a sabbatical, are at the employer’a discretion, and they typically will not grant these requests unless you make them far enough in advance that they can arrange for someone else to cover your work.
The last category is “administrative leave”, which is due to a policy that prohibits you from doing your job while an investigation is underway, and does include pay since you are presumed innocent. For instance, after a police shooting, the officers involved will be placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
Just a comment, posted as an answer, as I still have insufficient reputation to comment. There is an acronym colloquially used referring to a missing person or object. "AWOL" , frequently written in capital letters, is a short form for "Absent WithOut Leave". It has military origin, as it indicated a soldier absent without a formal permission.
