You have 50 employees and 45 want the week between Christmas and the New Year off. The only way you can make them all happy is to close down the business for a week, something you cannot afford to do. Sadly, some of your employees are still unhappy about their extended Labor Day holiday requests being denied. And you can’t stand to think about the Thanksgiving debacle.
The holidays should be a happy time, but they often complicate your business. Handling these time-off requests is a delicate job, and no matter how you try, some employees will be unhappy. Fortunately, you can minimize workplace dissatisfaction by creating a clear holiday vacation policy now.
Many employees put in their holiday requests a few months in advance while others ask a week before time. Neither of these time periods is enough to prevent scheduling difficulties. Instead, consider mandating that employees put in holiday vacation requests 3 – 5 months before the holiday. Does that require extensive planning? Yes, but it reduces confusion and irritation as well. Or, like some companies, you could require employees to put in their vacation/holiday requests for the entire year in January. That may seem extreme, but you’ll be able to make up a fair schedule. Also, employees whose plans change won’t necessarily be stuck. You could allow them to swap time off with coworkers to accommodate last-minute issues.
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If you have a retail business, you simply cannot afford to have employees take-off during holiday periods. Those days are when the rest of the world shops and your business makes its money. To ensure you have enough staff on hand, you can mark certain days as no holiday periods. That may sound tough, but it’s a necessity for some operations. Also, you’ll avoid problems by making no exceptions, even for upper management. You should clearly spell out this policy in the employee handbook to eliminate confusion.
You should not assume that everyone celebrates the same holidays. Some celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanza instead of Christmas. You may have Muslims on staff who celebrate Ramadan or Jews who celebrate Yom Kippur. Of course, these differences may make holiday scheduling easier since not everyone on your staff will want Christmas Eve off. Just be sensitive to your diverse staff members and do not overlook key holidays.
Traditionally, many businesses give their first choice of time off to senior employees. This perk is a reward to those workers who have stuck with the company for years, even decades. Of course, this plan pleases the long-timers but frustrates those who have put less time in.
You might modify the plan by reserving some time off just for senior members of your staff and put the rest of the available time off in a pool for other employees. A random draw for this time would keep things fair and reduce complaints.
This suggestion only works for small businesses, but it can be effective in that circumstance. You can let your employees know what coverage you will need for each holiday period. Let them meet and discuss their options and choose who will take off and who will work. You may need to step in if conflicts arise, but empowering your team this way can reduce problems and keep your crew happy.
Money still talks, and your employees need more of it around the holidays. Many employers offer increased holiday pay, which can take the sting out of working on New Year’s Eve. If the price is right, you may have employees competing to take those holiday shifts.
You can also make changes to your PTO plan. For instance, you could subtract 1.25 days from the employee’s PTO bank for days taken off in December. Or, you could add several PTO days for employees who do not take off at all during the holiday period. For the sake of morale, you should lean toward using the carrot rather than the stick.
Managing payroll can be a daunting task for any business. Instead of handling it in-house, consult with America’s Back Office about their payroll services.
From time to time, every business could use temporary workers. Sometimes, your workload surges, and your full-time staff needs assistance. At others, some of your regular staff may be on vacation. If you keep a pool of part-time employees, you can be more flexible with your scheduling and let more of your employees enjoy holiday vacation time off without compromising your company’s productivity. As an added benefit, you will have a built-in list of qualified candidates for your next full-time opening.
Your business management has probably become experts at using remote workers. For holidays, you could expand this option and let more people work from home. This remote work can be part of a half-day plan that lets workers put in a 20-hour week during these times, working only in the morning or the afternoon. This way they will get even more time off because they won’t be making the commute to the office. Being flexible on holiday schedules can keep your business running while incurring goodwill from your team.
America’s Back Office can help you with all of your HR needs. You can outsource your HR administration, payroll, onboarding, labor law compliance, and more. By doing so, you can actually gain better control of your business’s finances and workforce. And you’ll worry less about your employee benefits package and attendance issues and more about producing the products and services that your company is known for.
Schedule a free face-to-face consultation today to learn how our PEO services will help you control costs, reduce your workload and improve efficiency. For more information, call 1-877-423-7736 or email info@americasbackoffice.com. With America’s Back Office at your side, you’ll sail through the holiday scheduling and other HR challenges.