Resources

4 Ways to Handle Employee Summer Vacation Requests

Summer is here, and your employees want to be anywhere but the office. It’s the most popular vacation season of the year, so your team is eager to get out of town with family and friends. As a kind and caring employer, you want them to have fun and enjoy life, but you also need to keep your business up and running.

Balancing a high volume of vacation requests is challenging, but you can do it. Follow these tips to give your employees the time off they deserve, without sacrificing productivity.

4 Ways to Handle Summer Vacation Requests

  1. Set a Deadline

Since everyone wants time off in the summer, last-minute requests don’t work. Require employees to submit their desired vacation dates at least a couple months in advance, so you can plan accordingly. Anyone who fails to meet the deadline will have to take what’s left.

  1. Ensure Adequate Coverage

When approving vacation requests, make sure enough employees will be around at all times to cover the bases. It’s not fair to leave a skeleton crew in each department, because these people will have to put in serious overtime to cover for everyone else. This might mean you have to ask a few employees to switch their requested vacation dates, but it’s necessary. If you don’t want to deny requests, hire temporary staffers in the interim.

  1. Make It Clear You Have the Final Say

You want employees to be able to have their first-choice vacation dates, but it might not work out that way. Reiterate that vacation requests are not final until they receive your approval. Therefore, people shouldn’t book travel until their request has been officially cleared.

  1. Offer an Incentive to Stay Put

Summer is a popular vacation time, but the other nine months of the year are also great for getaways. Entice employees to stay put in the summer by offering perks — e.g., a bonus, extra vacation time. Those with kids out of school for the season might not be swayed, but others with a more flexible schedule will likely take this opportunity to cash in.

At PrideStaff North Dallas, there’s no staffing issue we can’t handle. Contact us today to discuss your hiring needs, and we’ll help you find the optimal solution!

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email