Advice for Handling Holiday Time-off Requests

The winter holidays are one of the busiest times of year for SoCal companies – and one of the most likely times employees will seek time off by the score. Vacation time guards against productivity-killing burnout, but how will you handle rush orders and floods of new customers when your best people are on break?

Manage time-off requests while keeping productivity high with these tips:

1. Create a neutral system for assigning time off and stick to it. During the holidays, nearly everyone asks for the same time off: The dates of the winter holidays themselves, and perhaps the day before or after. Since you can’t have your entire staff out of the office on a day you intend to do business, create a fair and neutral system for assigning first-choice and second-choice preferences and stick to it. For instance, you might grant time off requests according to seniority, or by lottery for all requests that are submitted by a certain deadline.
2. Give yourself plenty of lead time. The winter holidays are always unpredictable when it comes to employee absences. Even when the vacation schedule is set in place, sudden illness, family emergencies, school holidays, or household mishaps can all require a staff member to step away from work for a few hours or a day. Prepare well in advance for these eventualities. Consider making flex time easier for employees over the holidays, so that work can get finished even when a bout of the flu or family arriving on a 2:00 flight intrude.
3. Call your staffing partner today. From recommending holiday time off request policies that work to finding you the staff you need to meet shortages, your staffing firm can help make the winter holidays less stressful and more productive. By bringing contract workers in, you can ensure that holiday tasks are handled, allowing your own staff to focus on the work they do best. Your staffing firm will even handle items like employment paperwork and, if necessary, ACA compliance, so you can onboard temp staff just in time for the holiday rush.

At Marquee Staffing, our experienced recruiters can help you find the people you need to meet your winter holiday goals and start 2016 off strong. Contact us today to learn more.