NFIB

Start Planning Employee Vacation Schedules Now
04/ 09/ 2002

As summer approaches, your employees are probably busily making plans for vacations and time off. Small business owners sometimes don't realize how vehemently employees will guard their planned vacation time, especially when conflicts in scheduling arise. One employee, for instance, may be planning a family reunion during the second week in July, while another may have scheduled medical work during the same week. What if you can only afford to give time off to one of these employees? To avoid vacation conflict, it's wise to begin scheduling summer vacations now. Jeffrey Moses offers some tips in today's Workshop.

Without assuming that conflicts exist, give everyone a week's notice to request in writing specific vacation dates. Anyone missing the cutoff will not have priority on requested dates. It's usually best not to ask for second choices.

The first consideration should be the ongoing smooth operation of the company. If everyone took off the week before and after the Fourth of July, the company would have to close down. Examine employee requests first for company continuity, second for employee conflicts.

Work out vacation schedules based on the individual requests. If there are conflicts, speak individually with the employees involved to see if you can arrange a compromise. Be diplomatic. It's sometimes surprising how attached people get to the plans they've made--even if their plans haven't been worked out or authorized.

Try to give priority to medical situations, important events that would be difficult to reschedule (huge family reunions, long-standing reservations at a time-share, etc.) and requests by long-time employees. Seniority should count for something, but should not be the deciding factor in granting requests.

Once decisions have been made, they should be considered final. If employee plans change, let the individuals involved try to exchange vacation days. If changes can't be worked out, the existing schedule should be followed.

Some last-minute adjustments to vacation schedules will usually have to be made. An important client may show up at the last minute or a company emergency may crop up. A special project or deadline may need to be extended. Employees need to understand that even their approved vacation time is not carved in stone. Flexibility has to be maintained for the benefit of the company.

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