In order to qualify for a maternity leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), it’s required that a letter be written requesting for the leave. There are several conditions that must have been fulfilled before a maternity leave letter can be written. These conditions include; that the worker has worked for a minimum of one year in the company; has fulfilled at least 1250 hours of work, and that the company is bound by FMLA. Once these conditions are met a letter of request can then be written.


Before Writing the Letter

Ensure that the company’s maternity policies are well understood in order to receive a favorable response. While the FMLA requires that maternity leave be given to qualified workers company policies usually vary, especially in the private sector. Thus there’s a need to be properly acquainted with the requirements of the company in question. A good place to find out about your company’s policies is the Human Resources department. Also, in order to be speedily given the leave, the employee should ensure that he/she is qualified for it.


Writing a Maternity Leave Letter

The letter of request for a maternity leave is a strictly formal letter and should be treated as such. This means that the letter must be straight to the point and also clearly state the grounds for consideration. The first step is to address the letter appropriately. There are different formats of doing this but the more popular option is to state your address as the employee on the top right hand corner of the sheet of paper. This means your name, home address and contact details such as phone numbers and email should be included. The letter is usually addressed to the head of the Human Resources department.


Content of the Letter

The maternity leave letter should begin by a clear statement of the reason why a maternity leave request is being made. Whether the fact that you are pregnant is evident or not is irrelevant. Remember that this is for official purposes, so no assumption should be made. The introduction should also state the date when the leave is expected to start and the date when it’s expected to end. While a minimum of 30 days notice should be given, a longer period of notification is more helpful.

There’s a need to make the company know that you are also interested in the smooth running of the operations. Thus the person in charge should be adequately informed about the tasks at hand. This should include the tasks that will be completed by the time of the expected leave and the ones that will need to be reassigned. Suggest what should be done about these tasks in the letter.

In conclusion, let the company know how they can get in touch with you during your absence and also thank them for their anticipated approval of the maternity leave letter.