As the festive season rolls in, businesses must navigate employees’ varying requests for time off. This can be challenging for almost every business that doesn’t entirely shut down at year’s end, and is especially difficult in sectors like retail and travel. Navigating this period successfully requires a strategic approach to holiday PTO scheduling practices, keeping operational efficiency and employee needs in mind.
The first step in managing holiday scheduling is simply establishing a comprehensive policy for holiday PTO scheduling practices. Developing effective holiday PTO policies for small businesses requires multiple aspects:
Once the policy has been formalized and communicated, it can be properly implemented by all supervisors who have scheduling responsibilities.
Digital human resources tools can greatly ease employee scheduling during the holidays. The right tools clearly communicate company policy, and can allow employees and supervisors to manage requests/scheduling. For instance, cloud software and mobile apps may facilitate requests, scheduling and shift trade requests.
No matter how holiday scheduling and PTO requests are handled, businesses should treat employees with great respect this time of year. Businesses should be respectful of all requests and observances, thank the employees who work holidays, and generally do what they can support employees.
At Workforce PayHub, we specialize in helping businesses manage their employees -- including helping them develop holiday PTO scheduling practices. Get ahead of the holiday rush with Workforce PayHub’s time & labor management and payroll solutions. Contact us today for a free consultation to streamline your HR holiday planning.