Key takeaways:
"Leave" is a handy catch-all, but it covers a lot. Life events and statutory rights. Sickness and wellbeing. Training and career breaks. From the everyday (holiday and sick leave) to the more niche (bereavement, fertility treatment, volunteering, even “duvet days”), there are loads of reasons people might need time away from work. You might even create a new leave type that fits your culture.
A modern business should be able to label and track all of it clearly. It’s not about being nosy, or building a leaderboard for the fewest days off.
It is about being fair and consistent. Clear rules, clear records, and no surprises. And yes, the data helps you spot trends, plan ahead, and support people properly.
Let’s look at what that can mean in real life.
Lucy runs a small, busy creative agency in Manchester. The team is close-knit and proud of doing things differently. They work hard, they back each other up, and they care about the culture.
But there was a pattern Lucy could not ignore: midweek burnout.
Using Leave Dates to track time off, Lucy noticed that sick leave spiked during intense project cycles. At first, it did not add up. The team liked their work and they were not the type to skive.
Then it clicked. Creativity takes energy. If people run on empty for long enough, something gives.
Spotting the patterns in absence
Lucy did not want people to feel they had to push through until they hit breaking point. She also did not want “I’m not ill enough” to stop someone from taking a breather.
So she introduced Duvet Days.
A duvet day was for when you are not sick, but you are running low. A day to reset before tiredness turns into illness. No questions asked.
Bring on the duvet days
Lucy set an allowance of four duvet days a year for everyone.
She announced it in a way that suited the team. She joined the morning call from home, under her duvet, and told them to do the same when they needed to.
Then she logged into Leave Dates and:
- created a new leave type called Duvet Days
- added a short description so everyone understood what it was for
- gave it a colour so it was easy to see on the wall chart
- set the allowance to 4 days per person
- made it simple to book, like any other leave
The key point was this: it became official. Not a vague “you can take time if you need it”, but something people could actually use.
The result: a morale boost, and fewer surprises
Bookings started coming in straight away. Within six months, Lucy saw a clear drop in unplanned absence.
The numbers helped tell the story, but the day-to-day impact mattered just as much. People seemed more energised. The team felt trusted. And managers found it easier to plan, because duvet days were booked like other leave.
People can be hesitant to take time off for mental health. The stigma is fading, but it has not gone completely.
Custom leave types help because they:
You can do the same with other policies and benefits, like pawternity leave, volunteering days, study leave, compassionate leave, or a wellbeing day allowance.
In Leave Dates, you can create and manage your own leave types alongside the defaults (such as annual leave, public holiday, sick leave, unpaid leave, and study leave).
You can add, edit, or delete leave types to match how your business actually works. Each leave type can contain different policies, such as whether it deducts from an allowance, or who can request it.
Hidden leave is useful when the reason is personal. For example, if you introduce menstrual or menopause-related leave, some people may not want that shown openly to the whole business. Hidden leave keeps it on a need-to-know basis, while still recording it properly.
Leave data is one of the most useful internal resources you have. It is not just numbers. It shows you where pressure builds, when teams need extra support, and what policies are actually being used.
When your leave categories reflect real life, your data becomes far more meaningful. And that makes it easier to improve wellbeing, retain good people, and run a smoother operation.
Creating your own custom leave types is easy in Leave Dates. Account admins can use the Leave Types function in settings to create these with a few clicks.
Read our guide on how to create and manage leave types here - https://help.leavedates.com/article/138-leave-types
Many companies are getting creative with their leave offerrings as a way to attract and keep great talent.
Here are a few examples:
Our wonderful customers from Word Monster, awarded one of the UK's best workplaces, give their team birthday leave and more.