Sheakley Updates

Handling Holiday Time Off Requests Fairly

Chelsea Bikner
Holiday Time Off Requests
Reading time 4 Mins
Published on Nov 15
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With the holidays just around the corner, you may be getting inundated with holiday time off requests from employees. As a manager or business owner, you want to be fair and give everyone the opportunity to get the time off that they need around this time of year, but you also need to protect your business’ ability to continue doing business. By clearly defining your time off policies and addressing all time off requests fairly, you can alleviate some of the stress and disappointment that often accompany holiday time off requests during this time of the year. Read on for a few tips on articulating your policy and dealing with requests fairly.

 

Start with a policy

No matter the path you decide to take in deciding time off requests, you must clearly communicate your policy to all employees upon hire. Informing new employees of your time off request policy upfront allows you to set clear boundaries for when and how employees should request time off and empowers employees to request time off when they need it.

Depending on your business, time off policies may be part of a union contract. You are bound by those policies, in that case. Otherwise, you may want to write some flexibility into your time off policies. That flexibility should include some managerial discretion so that you allow for situations you can’t plan for ahead of time.

Put your policies in the employee handbook, make your policy accessible for employees to look up if they have questions, and cover it in your hiring interviews.

First come, first served

First come, first served is one of the most common methods for dealing with time off requests during the holidays. Put simply, requests are considered and approved in the order they are submitted. This approach allows both employees and employers to know well in advance who will be around during the holidays. This policy is typically the starting point and other factors, like those below, are generally taken into consideration along with the FCFC policy before a final decision is made regarding the request.

Seniority

Seniority is the most traditional approach to deciding whose time off requests are approved when there are overlapping requests. For example, if every receptionist in a department requests the same days off for the holidays, the approvals would be given first to those who have been with the company the longest.

That said, seniority isn’t always a golden ticket in time off requests. Sometimes, the most experienced supervisors may be needed at work when more senior level managers and executives will be away. Typically, organizational need trumps all other considerations when dealing with time off requests.

Business needs

Some industries and businesses are simply in higher demand around the holidays than others and maintaining optimal staffing levels for the sake of business continuity will almost always form the foundation for how many and which employee types can take time off during this time. For example, retail businesses are often overwhelmed with customers, processing deliveries, and replenishing stock during the holidays, and so may implement a blackout period for time-off requests during peak periods.

Let Sheakley help you craft quality job descriptions

Don’t let holiday time off requests overwhelm you with stress and cause strife among your workforce. Sheakley’s PEO and HR Outsourcing professionals have the knowledge and experience to help you craft a time off request policy that will help reduce your stress about holiday time off requests and offer advice on dealing with sticky PTO issues when they arise.

Schedule your free consultation with a Sheakley PEO professional today. For more in-depth information about PEOs, download our What is a PEO e-book today. Stay up-to-date on all things Sheakley by subscribing to our blog and following us on social media. Join in the discussion by commenting below.


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