It’s inevitable that employees are going to need time off during their course of employment. Family events, appointments, vacations, and employees getting sick are all various reasons that employees might need to request time off.
The easiest way to manage time off for both employees and supervisors is to have a written time off policy, whether paid or unpaid, that is enforced. Simply having a policy is not enough; it has to be enforced and employees need to be aware of what the policy is. You may have a section in your employee handbook that references time off, or a separate company memo dictating your policy. It is also smart to remind employees of the policy during busy times, such as winter break, spring break, and summer vacations. This may help avoid miscommunication and aid employees in scheduling vacations.
Your policy should address planned time off (such as vacations or appointments) and unplanned time off (such as emergencies and illnesses). It might also want to address a first come first served policy, or negotiations for multiple requests on the same day. You may also want to require a written request, or have a formal document in place to track and verify all requests. This document should include the date the request was made, time off dates, whether it is paid or unpaid, and an area for both the employee’s signature and the signature of a manager. These forms can come in handy when working with multiple requests, payroll, and also for possible FMLA leave reasons.
Depending on the type of business you manage, you may require employees to have a shift covered. This is called shift trading. While this may be beneficial for the employee, you may end up with the wrong skill set on a shift, or be over or under staffed. If you do allow shift changes, make sure they are always approved by a member of management and everyone is aware of the change in personnel. If possible, you can also have employees make up time, depending on the job they do.
One last tip; it helps to create a culture of respect for time off on both ends of the spectrum. Employees should be trained to request time off in advance, and in private if possible. They should be trained on the company policy and understand the process for requesting time off. On the other hand, managers should try to accommodate the request if possible, and make sure their employees are trained. Working together, both employee and manager alike, can help this sometimes stressful process be easier to control.
