The summer holiday season is upon us!  We know the value and benefit of taking holidays on an individual and family level however what will be the impact on your business?  Do you know the ‘productivity hit’ you will take?  How will you manage the ‘challenge’ of employees wanting the same time off?

What is a benefit can quickly become a nightmare when trying to deal with the myriad of holiday requests and actual time off AND ensuring that the business continues to remain productive!  By having a process for managing and booking holidays, it is surprising the amount of time that will be saved for more value-added activities.

Knowing what holiday dates are booked and by whom avoids productivity ‘gridlock’ and enables you to make informed decisions and plan for the absences to minimise disruption for your business.

Not sure where to start? Here are three things to consider:

• Ensure that the holiday information is clearly stated in your employment contract information

• Automate holiday booking to provide you with the information and visibility to make informed approval decisions in advance.  There are lots of easy to use and inexpensive systems to support this

• Have a holiday policy in your employee
handbook that outlines everything relating to how holidays operate in your business to avoid any ambiguity 

As we know holidays are taken all year round, not just summer, the key is to ensure that the planning and execution of it works well within your business.

Martine Robins is the Director of The HR Dept Woking and Guildford.

You can contact her on 01483 603001 or 07392 311318 or email martine.robins@hrdept.co.uk

www.hrdept.co.uk/wokingandguildford