Dear …

One of the hardest things that a manager is required to do at times, is ask an employee to postpone their vacation. I know how much you were looking forward to a long overdue vacation with your family and having to ask you to postpone these plans is very difficult for me.

As you know, we are under a tight schedule to meet our __ (name of project)__ deadline, which unfortunately, cannot be delayed. Without your contribution I’m afraid we will not succeed in meeting our deadline. I am sorry to have to ask you to postpone a much needed and well deserved vacation, but we really need your help to get us through this critical time.

I thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter and appreciate you coming through for the team. Rest assured, your loyalty will not go unforgotten.

Sincerely,