All successful businesses have some key features which are similar in nature. Aside from things like brilliant management, one of the most important features that a successful business possesses is its policies regarding its employees. Employees are humans and humans require vacations and time off to celebrate holidays, be with their families, and recharge their batteries in general.
However, managing the employees’ requests for time off and leaves can quickly become a big headache for many business owners due to poor management and inadequate policy. It can lead to a dominoes style fall of your business as huge chunks of employees take leave at the same time, especially during some of the busiest times of the year. Therefore, it is essential to have a robust policy and time and attendance management system to regulate all employee leave requests. Here are 7 tips for managing employee time off in the most efficient ways.
Standard procedure
In order to avoid rifts between employees and managers and even among employees, make sure that your business has standard procedures that are applicable to all the employees at different levels. This will not only ensure that all the requests in front of you are in an organized manner but also that there will be lesser chances of any employee feeling like they have been cheated on. This will further strengthen your employees’ trust in you and also promote more equality among your workforce.
Promote vacations
This technique may seem odd and in contrast to the objective of this article, but it is just as important. Studies have shown that around half the workforce of the USA has unused vacations and fear that they may appear replaceable to their superiors if they do utilize them. With around 60% of the firms not encouraging employees to take vacations, it is reported that around 25% of the employees feel guilty about taking vacations. However, in the same report, it is also noted that employees who do utilize their vacations have reported feeling productive, energized, and more willing to work with the quality of their work having been improved. This clearly shows that while your employees’ taking vacations might not always be beneficial for you in the short term, it will definitely pay off in the long run as employees work better, harder, and more effectively.
Offer a raised wage during busy times
For many employees, money is more important than vacations. In order to cut down on some leave requests if too many build up in your backlog, you can offer a higher wage to your employees to incentivise some of them to work even during busy times. However, Pat Sweeney, a human resource manager at Old Colony Hospice and Palliative Care, says that such a differential pay should be built into the structure of the business and shouldn’t be a one-off offer to entice employees to stay behind.
Allow shift trades
Shift trading is the phenomenon where when an employee takes a leave, they ask another employee of the same skill set to work in their stead. This can make things a lot easier on a business owner as the work getting done is still the same, and the employee also gets a leave easily without compromising the business’ operations. However, it is essential you prescribe some rules regarding the trading of shifts such as mandatory approval by the manager and replacement of a specific employee with another employee of the same or very similar skill set to ensure the right mix of skills is always present at work.
Plan in Advance
Many businesses have their vacation calendars for their various employees planned out at the beginning of a year. While it is not possible for every employee to plan out their vacations for the whole year, getting a rough estimate of what the workforce strength would be like at different points in the year can be highly beneficial in planning and making your life just that much easier.
Part-Timers
Having a reserve pool of part-time employees is a great way to cushion a busy time. If your business sees a boom during the holiday season, when most employees will be taking leaves, it is a good idea to keep a pool of part-timers ready to tap in. Make sure you keep in touch with them throughout the year so that you are aware of their availability during the busy seasons and plan accordingly.
Work from home
If your business does not require your employees to be on-site to work, it is easier to let them work from home. With many great tools at your disposal to monitor work progress and technology’s advancement in communication and other such areas, it is easier than ever for employees to work from home and still enjoy time with their families. This would ensure that your business operations are not affected and your employees still get time to recharge their batteries and come back to work refreshed and energized. Just make sure that if you are allowing work from home solely in place of a proper vacation, then the workload on employees does not mount to similar pressure at work as that would defeat the whole purpose.
Conclusion
Managing time off for employees is not an easy task. While these small tips and tricks might take some of the burdens off, they cannot be completely avoided. In addition to all these tips, investment in robust attendance management software that could automate the management of these tasks could go a long way in solving one of the most time-consuming and delicate tasks that could otherwise topple your business if not handled properly.
