Handling the holiday season
Over the holiday season, managers may worry about how they are going to handle the downtime, not to mention employees being more likely to take time off thanks to cold and flu season. However, there is no need to worry about this time of year, as we have put together some tips for you that will help with this.
Make your plans in advance
The holiday season comes at the same time each year, meaning you can plan for it. Once you know who is going to be off and when, you can allocate the workload appropriately, giving you a chance to get everything in place well in advance.
Make it a first come first served basis
Although lots of people will want time off at this time of year, not everyone can have it. Because of this, it should be made clear that those who put their holiday requests in first will have priority. This will encourage your team to ask sooner, therefore giving you more chance to plan.
Have part-timers on hand when needed
It is always useful to have a group of part time employees who you can call on when more of your team are unavailable. This means that you will be able to cover any roles that are left empty by the holiday season, therefore lessening the downtime that you will need to deal with.
Offer a higher rate of pay
If you need people to work key days during the holiday period, it is a good idea to offer a bonus for this. This means that they will be much happier to work at this time; and more motivated while they are on their shift.
Ban holidays during certain times
If you know that you are likely to be busy at certain times, you can simply ban all the team from planning holidays then. Of course, there will be exceptional circumstances where holidays could be granted, but the team should be made aware that any requests should be dealt with well in advance.
Allow remote working
If possible, it is helpful to allow your team to work from home at these times of the year. This means that they can get things done at home and still do their job at the same time – so this is a good way of essentially achieving the best of both worlds.