Any employer worth their salt will offer a decent amount of holiday hours. Aside from being fantastic for team morale, paid vacations are a fantastic way to ensure you get more out of your employees. They make sure everyone can afford to take time off. And, they’re sure to work in your favor when it comes to building relationships with your team.
But, paid leave can also be a pain in your backside. Every manager has, at some stage, made the mistake of accepting too many leave slips for the same time. And, when that happens, workflow can come to a complete halt. When that happens, not only are you paying staff on leave to do nothing, but you’ll also end up paying your in-office staff not to work.
Of course, this by no means suggests you should stop offering leave time. Instead, it’s a sign you need to harness your processes to ensure production doesn’t suffer. And, we’re going to look at three ways you can do that.
Be clear how many people you can do without
It helps to have a clear policy about how many people can take leave at once. This will vary depending on your workforce. A team of fifty, for instance, can do without more than a team of ten. But, in both cases, you need to consider capabilities. Of course, job roles also play a role. The absence of two office workers won’t affect a HR team member taking time off, for example. Still, as a general rule, set a maximum booking limit. In most workplaces, this ranges around the 2-3 mark. Make sure employees know. That way, they can book well in advance. This also gives you a solid foundation for refusing dates if you have to.
Take booking online
Being put on the spot could also lead to your saying yes when you should say no. If an employee hands you a slip and asks for an instant response, you might panic. And, once you approve vacation, you can’t take it back without harming relationships. To do away with this pressure, turn to online solutions. Employee self-service systems like those offered by Zentech allow staff to book leave online. Requests then comes to you in the safety of your office. That distance allows you plenty of time to check the holiday diary before responding in any way. And, that could work wonders for ensuring you never exceed the above limit.
Designate no-leave periods
It’s also worth noting that, during busy times, even a limit won’t help you cover gaps. During school holidays, for instance, many companies need all hands on deck. This is especially true over the festive period. At these times, even letting one person take leave would do real damage. Instead, state from the offset that these are no-leave periods. You could make exceptions for bookings made well in advance with good reason. Other than that, stick to your guns here to ensure your company doesn’t take a hit.