Six Professional Ways To Manage Conflicting Holiday Requests”
Whether it’s Christmas, August, or half-term, multiple team members wanting off simultaneously is a familiar scene in businesses worldwide. What are the best ways you can handle this?
Stay Legal
A certain amount of holiday is a legal right, not a perk on a manager’s whim. In the UK, nearly all workers, including agency staff, zero-hour contract employees, and part-year workers, are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each year. This entitlement can include bank holidays at the employer’s discretion. For those working a standard five-day week, this translates to a minimum of 28 days’ paid leave annually. Part-time workers are entitled to the same 5.6 weeks, though in practice, this means fewer than 28 days.
Calculating holiday entitlement for part-time or irregular-hours workers can be tricky. The holiday entitlement calculator is a handy tool for these calculations. Starting 1 April 2024, the accrual method for irregular-hours workers will adjust to 12.07% of worked hours per pay period, maxing out at 5.6 weeks.
The cap for statutory paid holiday is 28 days, even for those working more than five days a week. While bank holidays are not automatically paid leave, you can include them in the statutory leave.
Plan for it.
Half-term should not catch you by surprise. ( though somehow it always does!) The key to avoiding chaos? Early planning. Initiating discussions about holiday leave from the start of the year spreads out the requests and cuts down on the rush. Can you plan to be less busy at popular times? It’s about creating a fair system where everyone gets their holiday pie without leaving the business in a lurch.
Make it Visible
Whether you are using forms, emails, or a fancier system to track holiday requests, a shared calendar will give a clear snapshot of who’s out and when, preventing the all-too-common holiday bottleneck. People can see who is off and when. It could be online or a paper planner on the wall with stickers.
Don’t Play Favourites.
It will quickly become noticed if certain people get approved while others seem to need to catch up. Be firm but fair. Have a written HR policy on holidays, including how requests should be made, how quickly you will respond to them, and any criteria. Be careful that your criteria for business needs do not leave you open to legal liability. For example, you might have a policy that says you don’t have two people off in the same team at the same time, but depending on the team size, it might be impossible for all team members to take their legal holiday requirement and so would be unenforceable.
Empowering Employees: The Art of the Swap
Encouraging employees to negotiate among themselves for those popular holiday slots can transform the leave request process from a top-down decree to a democratic dialogue. This approach alleviates the managerial burden and instils a sense of agency and responsibility among staff. It’s a win-win: employees get a say in their holidays, and managers get a break from playing holiday referee.
Lead by Example
There’s no understating the impact of leadership by example. Opting out of the race for prime holiday slots demonstrates solidarity and reinforces the collective effort required to navigate the holiday season smoothly. It’s about showing that the rules apply to everyone, so there is a sense of camaraderie.
The annual dance of holiday leave requests doesn’t have to be a source of stress. Businesses can gracefully navigate this minefield with strategic planning, clear communication, and a sprinkle of creativity. Companies can ensure a happy and productive workforce by acting with fairness, recognition, and proactive planning. Should disputes arise over holiday entitlement or pay, it’s vital to remember that paid annual leave is a legal right, with several avenues available for resolution.