An excuse letter from work is a letter written by an employee in which he addresses the employer and explains his reason for an absence for a certain period of time. Sometimes, an employee has a commitment or an appointment for an official work. In such scenarios, an employee writes an excuse letter from work to attend an official work in order to inform his employer about his absence.
This excuse letter can be written before or after the absence depending on the requirements of the employer and the company policies.
There are different scenarios of official work that usually involve legal work which require an employee’s presence. Therefore, an employee has to take a day off from work in order to attend to that legal appointment or commitment. Some of the examples of such scenarios are:
- An appointment with a solicitor
- Date to attend a Jury Service
- Court hearing
When an employee cannot attend work for one of such reasons, he writes an excuse letter from work to attend an official work to his employer as an official notification about his absence and the reason behind it. This letter should be written keeping certain things in mind such as:
- The format and language used should be formal and professional
- It should be short, specific and yet should serve the purpose
- Company policies should not be ignored while writing this letter
- The letter should clearly explain the reason behind the absence
- Any type of mistakes should be avoided
The general format of the letter includes:
- Date of letter
- Details of the employee
- Details of the employer
- Date of absence
- Reason of absence
- Affirmation that the missed work would be taken care of
An employee cannot simply skip legal work as it is mandatory to attend and could have legal consequences otherwise. Therefore, an employee has to attend any legal appointment he has been summoned for. An employer, usually, understands this scenario and its importance, however, an employee should formally inform the employer by writing the excuse letter so that it can be kept in the record as well.
Sample Excuse Letter from Work to Attend Jury Service
Dear Mr. XYZ,
I am writing this excuse letter to inform you that I will not be able to attend work on 12th July 20xx.
I have been summoned for a Jury Service on this particular date and it is mandatory for me to attend this Jury Service. I have requested Mr. Tom Jefferson to handle my tasks for the day. However, I will be back on the 13th of July 20xx to take over the remaining tasks.
Kindly, excuse me from work for one day. I shall be very grateful to you. Feel free to contact me on [contact] during that day except for the Jury service hours (9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.) when I will not be allowed to attend any calls.
Thank you for your understanding.
Regards,
Emily Watson
Sample Excuse Letter from Work to have an Appointment with Legal Aid or a Solicitor
Dear Mr. John,
I am writing this letter to inform you about my absence from work on 13th August 20xx.
I applied for a mortgage last year, but some legal issues arose which has delayed it up till now. I have been trying to contact my family solicitor to complete all the legal formalities, but he was out of the country for last few months and will be soon traveling back to his home country for a period of few more months. He has adjusted his tight schedule for me and has given an appointment for 13th August 20xx. I must discuss the prevalent situation of my mortgage with him as management of rent is becoming difficult for me.
I would be highly grateful if you understand my situation and excuse me from work on this particular day. I have requested Ms. Jennifer Watson to take care of my responsibilities for the day. I would take care of all the remaining tasks when I come back on 14th August 20xx.
Feel free to contact me at [contact]. Thank you again for your support.
Regards,
Sarah Will
Sample Excuse Letter from Work because of Bailiff Summoning you to Attend a Court Hearing
Dear Ms. Monica,
I am writing this letter to inform you about my reason for absence on 10th September 20xx.
I have a case in court for last five months and I received a notice from Bailiff about a Court Hearing I had to attend on this particular date. Unfortunately, after reading the notice, I completely forgot about it and informing you also skipped my mind. When I was getting ready for work in the early morning of 10th September, I suddenly remembered about the Court Hearing and went to it rather than coming to the office as it was legally binding on me to attend.
It was completely my fault and I apologize for it. Kindly, excuse me from work on that day and accept my apology as I could not have missed the legal summons. I would cover up all the missed work.
Thank you for your understanding.
Regards,
John Smith
