The annual leave plan is a practical tool used to manage and organize employee leave requests within an organization. It allows HR and managers to accurately schedule leaves, monitor leave balances, and ensure operational coverage when employees are absent. In an XLSX format, the template is flexible and customizable without requiring complex software.

Lack of planning can result in operational chaos—such as clustering many leaves in certain periods or overlapping requests that disrupt workflow. A structured schedule helps with:

• Distributing leave fairly among employees
• Avoiding overlapping leaves in the same department
• Ensuring compliance with labor law and local regulations
• Documenting leave usage clearly for both employer and employee

Typical fields include:

1. Employee name
2. Position / Department
3. Type of leave (annual, emergency, sick, etc.)
4. Leave start date
5. Leave end date
6. Number of days requested
7. Remaining leave balance
8. Approving manager/signature
9. Notes (e.g. coverage plan during leave)

These fields are customizable based on company size or internal policies.

In Saudi Arabia, the labor law entitles employees to at least 21 days of annual leave, increasing to 30 days after five years of service. Through the template, HR can:

• Track leave balances accurately
• Record start and end dates to ensure proper calculation
• Generate reports to establish compliance during audits or disputes

• Transparency: Employees see their remaining leave and colleagues’ leave periods.
• Fairness: Reduces bias in leave approval.
• Peace of mind: Employees know their request is documented and considered.
• Better planning: Helps employees plan personal or family time ahead.

1. Prepare a master template at the beginning of the fiscal year.
2. Add columns such as “Backup during leave.”
3. Update the plan regularly with new leave requests.
4. Share a read-only version with managers for coordination.
5. Use Excel formulas to compute leave balances or highlight overlaps.

Yes. Most HRMS allow importing XLSX files. HR teams can prepare the plan manually first, then upload it to the system to create analyzable data—such as absence reports, compliance ratios, or leave usage comparisons across years.

• Delayed updates after approvals
• Omitting manager’s approval field
• Ignoring official holidays in calculations
• Keeping the file local rather than shared with team

Use internal policies such as:

• “First come, first served”
• Limit on how many employees in one department can be on leave simultaneously
• Holiday or peak periods require executive approval

The plan template helps spot conflicts before approvals.

Yes, although named “Annual Leave Plan,” it can be modified to handle:

• Maternity / paternity leave
• Sick leave
• Emergency leave
• Unpaid leave
• Training or external course leaves (treated as absence)

According to Saudi law, leaves should be used during the year. The template helps:

• Identify employees who haven’t used leave
• Send reminders to use leave
• Manage carryover of days
• Prevent buildup of leave liabilities

1. Publish the plan to all managers monthly
2. Use color coding by department
3. Keep backup copies
4. Train HR on Excel functionality (conditional formatting, pivot tables)
5. Link the leave plan with KPIs like planned vs. actual absence