--- title: Can a Company Deny Employee Vacation Requests? description: Denying vacation requests will undoubtedly hurt morale, especially if it happens frequently, and low morale leads to higher rates of turnover. image: https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/pexels-asad-photo-maldives-1268855.jpg --- Start typing and press Enter to search * * # Can a Company Deny Employee Vacation Requests? [Home](https://www.ahola.com/) » [News & Events](https://blog.ahola.com/can-a-company-deny-employee-vacation-requests) » Can a Company Deny Employee Vacation Requests? [2022-03-31%2015:58:48](2022-03-31%2015:58:48) ![](https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/pexels-asad-photo-maldives-1268855.jpg) ## Can a Company Deny Employee Vacation Requests? By [ Ahola Corporation ](https://blog.ahola.com/author/ahola-corporation)  Posted [ March 31, 2022](2022-03-31%2015:58:48)  In  [Benefits](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/benefits), [Employee Engagement](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/employee-engagement), [Human Resources](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/human-resources), [Employees](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/employees), [Time & Attendance](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/time-attendance) - - - - - In general, yes. But you should have—and document—a legitimate business reason for doing so. Denying vacation requests will [undoubtedly hurt morale](https://blog.ahola.com/morale-boosting-actions-employers-can-take), especially if it happens frequently, and low morale leads to higher rates of turnover. ### Discrimination Concerns ### Discrimination claims are also a risk. Although denying vacation requests for legitimate business reasons will reduce the chance of a discrimination claim, you’ll also want to make sure you’re not denying vacation in a way—even unintentionally—that disproportionately affects employees with the same protected characteristic. For example, if you deny vacation requests from employees in the customer service department—which happens to be mostly women—more than other requests, they might have a gender discrimination claim. We also hear from employers who want to deny vacation requests when the employee is asking for time off for medical procedures or recovery—this clearly raises disability discrimination issues. The best approach to avoid these types of discrimination claims is to periodically crunch the numbers to see if employees who share a protected characteristic are significantly more likely to have their request denied than others and if so, adjust your practices accordingly.   When you really must deny a request, do so carefully. It’s important to show empathy in these situations. You never know what someone has going on in their life. Stay focused on the fact that rejecting their request isn’t something you want to do—it's something you must do. State the business reason you couldn’t approve the request and work with them to find an alternative time they can take off. If you find you are regularly denying requests when employees have a vacation planned, we recommend reaching out to an employment law attorney for additional guidance. Looking for more HR Support for your business? Learn more about [our HR Consulting Services.](https://ahola.com/human-resources-consulting/) *Content Provided by Ahola's HR Support Center* ### Reply a Comment ## RELATED POSTS [![](https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/qtq80-lOEOHI.jpeg) ](https://blog.ahola.com/morale-boosting-actions-employers-can-take) [Morale Boosting Actions Employers Can Take](https://blog.ahola.com/morale-boosting-actions-employers-can-take) [![](https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/iphone.jpg) ](https://blog.ahola.com/increase-efficiency-with-employee-self-service) [Increase efficiency with Employee Self-Service](https://blog.ahola.com/increase-efficiency-with-employee-self-service) [![](https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/voting.jpg) ](https://blog.ahola.com/handling-politics-in-the-workplace) [Handling Politics in the Workplace](https://blog.ahola.com/handling-politics-in-the-workplace) ## SUBSCRIBE ### Recent posts - [Professionalizing HR Without Losing Your Family Culture ](https://blog.ahola.com/professionalizing-hr-without-losing-your-family-culture) - [Why Encouraging Employees to Take Summer Vacation Benefits Your Workplace ](https://blog.ahola.com/why-encouraging-employees-to-take-summer-vacation-benefits-your-workplace) - [Ahola Named a 2026 Top Workplace — Six Years Running! ](https://blog.ahola.com/ahola-named-a-2026-top-workplace) - ### Topics - [Affordable Care Act (13)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/affordable-care-act) - [Benefits (223)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/benefits) - [Cybersecurity (1)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/cybersecurity) - [Employee Engagement (255)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/employee-engagement) - [Employees (603)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/employees) - [Family Business Insights (10)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/family-business-insights) - [Hiring (282)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/hiring) - [Human Resources (645)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/human-resources) - [Laws/Policies (26)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/laws-policies) - [Managing COVID-19 (153)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/managing-covid-19) - [News Release (56)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/news-release) - [Offboarding (3)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/offboarding) - [onboarding (7)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/onboarding) - [Payroll (428)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/payroll) - [Recruiting (142)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/recruiting) - [Safety (121)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/safety) - [Tax Compliance (230)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/tax-compliance) - [Time & Attendance (124)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/time-attendance) - [Training & Development (214)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/training-development) - [Trending Topic (75)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/trending-topic) - [Uncategorized (1)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/uncategorized) - [Webinars (69)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/webinars) - [Workers Comp (1)](https://blog.ahola.com/tag/workers-comp) [see all topics](https://blog.ahola.com/can-a-company-deny-employee-vacation-requests#) ### GENERAL DISCLAIMER This blog is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, and cannot constitute legal advice, because the authors are not licensed attorneys. Readers should not rely or act upon any information presented on this blog without seeking professional legal counsel. The views expressed in each post are those of the author, and the author alone; they are not the views of Ahola. The information provided in this blog is general, and based on information available as of the date of publishing. Information herein is provided on an “as is” or “as available” basis; we make no warranty of any kind to you regarding the information provided and disclaim any liability for damages from use of the blog or its content. Please consult an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular question or issue. [![](https://blog.ahola.com/hubfs/10MT%20WATCH%20NOW.jpg) [Watch Now] Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) In general, yes. 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