Managing employee time off can be a bit tricky for any business…but when you have a small staff…it can be even more challenging.
via Flickr by Leo Reynolds
Ugh. I know, right? So here’s a few things to make scheduling time off as fair & painless as possible for both you, the business owner, and your employees.
Okay, so first, I recommend sending something out soon reminding your staff which days your office is closed for the winter holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, New Years…you get the idea…whatevs). Sometimes, if all your staff is staying in town, these given days will be sufficient and cause no issues at all (yeah, like that’s gonna happen, right?)
I’m assuming…that’s probably not the case. So, here are a few tips. Have a deadline for all holiday time off requests. You can make it one deadline for all the winter holidays…or break it down by specific holiday…it’s really whatever works best for you.
After you set the deadlines, see what requests come in. You might be surprised and see that no conflicts arise and everyone can have their requested days off. If there is a conflict and everyone (or the majority of your staff) request the same day off, here are a few suggestions on how you can handle it.
- See if it’s possible to close the office so everyone can have that day off.
- Understand the employees’ needs, maybe one could just take a ½ day instead of the whole day giving you some coverage.
- Give the day off in seniority order (date of hire).
- Have the employees draw straws.
Just remember, however you choose to handle the situation make sure you express with your team your reasoning behind why you did it a certain way so they understand you are really trying to be fair. Have any suggestions you think I’ve missed? Great…let me know…thanks!
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[...] you could impose a schedule, if that suits your management style. Or, you can take a tip from Bizznesscard on the topic: have them draw straws. Sometimes the perception of random chance is a way for people [...]