3 Easy Steps to Manage the Employee Vacation Calendar

Numerous employees equates to numerous vacations throughout the year. Juggling various employee schedules can make it difficult to manage the employee vacation calendar. Fortunately, there are some easy steps you can take to help you manage the vacation schedule.

Write a Vacation Policy

Create a vacation policy and put it in writing. Some of the points the vacation policy should cover includes:

• High volume or peak business periods when vacations are not permitted

• The amount of advance notice employees must give for vacations

• Unexpected events that might require employees to rearrange vacation plans

Your vacation policy can be as comprehensive as you choose it to be. It is a good rule of thumb, however, to include this information at a minimum. This way the policy is clear to employees and easy for them to understand. The ultimate benefit is that it allows you to properly and effectively manage the vacation calendar for all of the employees.

Temps or Fill-ins

When one or more employees are out of the office on vacation, someone has to fill-in or temporarily cover that employee’s work. With the employee vacation policy in place, it makes it simple to review the vacation calendar to see who can cover for the employee while they are out of the office.

If too many employees are out of the office at the same time, then you can opt to hire a temporary worker. The employee that is heading out on vacation can prepare an internal employee or a temp prior to leaving the office.

Use Vacation Scheduling Software

You can also use vacation scheduling software. These software programs include various features that make it easy for the human resource professional or office manager to arrange and juggle the vacation schedule for the entire company. Some of the features of these programs include:

• Automation: Employees complete the vacation request form. The request automatically routes to the supervisor or manager for approval.

• Calendar Access: The software gives everyone in the business access to vacation calendars. This makes it transparent to employees, co-workers and managers as to when employees will be out of the office, which makes it easier for others to plan their vacations, schedule meetings and events in the office.

When you can properly manage the employee vacation calendar, it helps to properly manage the workload of the business. Use these three easy techniques to assist you.

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