As an HR or business leader, you may have noticed that temperatures aren’t the only thing that heats up in the summer. According to research, 58% of employees save PTO for the summer months and take an average of 10 days off during the season. This can present a dilemma for companies trying to keep things moving and meet goals.
Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate the issues caused by a seasonal PTO surge, including setting boundaries and expectations, creating clear policies, cross-training employees, and utilizing technology effectively. Discover what you can do to balance business requirements with employee needs.
Preparing for the Summer Surge in PTO Requests
Allowing an increase in PTO requests to catch you by surprise can jeopardize your organization’s ability to remain productive during the summer months. You can use these tactics to help you prepare so the team can keep working toward goals year-round.
Set Expectations Early
Openly acknowledge that your staff have unique needs during the summer months and let them know you want to support them in balancing work and personal needs. Then, set expectations early (well before requests typically start rolling in) to avoid scheduling conflicts that could potentially halt productivity and cause employee stress.
Solidify a Policy
If you don’t already have one, create a transparent, easy-to-understand PTO policy to empower employees and set proper boundaries. This document should outline your procedures for requesting time off, set reasonable expectations for approval timelines, tell what to include in a request, and indicate whether there are any blackout periods during peak seasons (such as holidays or back-to-school).
Ensure Equal Opportunity
Prioritize PTO requests in a way that is fair and provides employees with equal opportunities to have time off. There are several ways you can approach a fair time off policy, including:
- First come, first served
- Seniority-based decisions
- Rotating schedules
The method you choose will depend on your company’s needs and preferences, but ensure that it is outlined in your official policy and communicated through multiple avenues to avoid accusations of unfairness.
How Employers Can Ensure Adequate Summer Staffing
One of the challenges HR leaders face in the summer months is balancing the staff’s need for vacation time with the company’s need to maintain a high level of excellence. Consider the following strategies to help you do both.
Encourage Early Planning
Your employees understand the importance of planning ahead to book flights, rental cars, and hotels in advance. Simply ask them to add early PTO requests and task planning to that checklist.
Perhaps they’ll delegate their responsibilities to others on the team while they’re gone. Either way, planning ahead allows for better coordination and ensures things keep rolling at the office, even in their absence.
Ensure Cross Training
Consider cross-training team members to be able to handle key responsibilities in each department. This way, continued productivity does not hinge on a single person, and projects can move forward even when team members are out on vacation.
Use Technology Resources
Use HR software and automated systems to streamline the PTO process. Self-service platforms can allow employees to submit their summer PTO requests to a central location where you can process them and make approval decisions.
HR software can track accrued time-off and PTO requests to ensure everything is processed efficiently and according to outlined policies.
Offer Flexible Alternatives
Sometimes, there’s just no way to avoid having too many employees who request the same days off, and you know you can’t approve everyone’s requests without jeopardizing the business.
In these cases, consider offering flexible alternatives, such as remote work, a four-day work week to allow for weekend getaways, or compensatory time off for working overtime before taking days off.
The Importance of Vacation Time for Employee Well-Being
According to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index, 48% of employees and 53% of managers report feeling burned out at work. Vacations can provide a solution to this issue, as they may:
- Reduce cognitive fatigue that can lead to difficulty concentrating and impaired problem-solving ability
- Improve rest and sleep, which can lead to better health outcomes, decreased absenteeism, and reduced healthcare costs
- Boost employee morale and job satisfaction, which can lead to improved employee retention
Though it may feel counterintuitive, encouraging employees to take time away from work can actually boost productivity rather than hinder it when the process is implemented fairly and strategically.
Clear Policies and Timely Planning Are Key for Your Summer PTO Strategy
Reminding employees to plan ahead for their summer vacation plans is important. However, ensuring business needs are taken care of when PTO requests surge also requires careful planning on your part.
Developing a solid PTO policy is crucial to balancing business and employee needs in every season. Not only should it be fair and easy to understand, but it must also comply with federal, state, and local laws.
VirgilHR’s automated platform can help you stay up-to-date with the latest regulatory changes and build policies that work for everyone. Schedule a demo to start building a clear and compliant PTO policy today.
Sources:
1. https://press.roberthalf.com/2019-05-21-Survey-Majority-Of-Workers-Save-Vacation-Time-For-Summer 2. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work-is-just-work
