Peak vacation time commonly refers to high-demand periods when employees are most likely to request paid vacation days. This can often be during the summer months and the holiday seasons. It can be challenging for managers to reconcile vacation requests for peak vacation times since not all requests can always be approved. Retailers, for instance, are often busiest during the holidays and the summer travel and hospitality industries are commonly at peak season in Canada during June, July, and August.

How to coordinate vacation requests

Being fully staffed when your business is busy helps you serve your customers effectively. If too many staff members, especially those in the same role or department, are off at the same time, it can potentially have a negative effect on your business. For example, if a catering company is fully booked during the summer and several employees request the same weeks off during the summer, approving everyone’s time-off request could be detrimental to your customers.

One potential solution is to ask your employees to coordinate among themselves to ensure crucial roles are always filled. Another strategy is to avoid an overload of vacation requests during popular times of the year by setting a deadline for when to submit a request. Some companies adopt a policy of submitting requests a certain number of days in advance. Another policy could be to ask employees to submit requests at the beginning of the year and adopt the “First come, first serve rule.” Here, whoever submits their request first has their time off request considered first.

What is a vacation policy?

A vacation policy is commonly included in the company’s handbook or an employee’s contract. It can outline what is required of employees when requesting time off. This includes when time off is specifically requested and the number of days. It would also include how many paid days off the employee is entitled to for that year, how soon after the day of hire requests can be made, and how the request process works.

Effective communication between employees and managers is important when following and enforcing a vacation policy. This includes standardizing request timelines and defining what tasks or projects an employee should complete before taking their time off.

Coverage during peak vacation periods

Effectively planning for peak vacation time or paid time off (PTO) allows managers to adequately distribute skills across the team and effectively share the department workload.

By looking at historical data and forecasting future trends, a manager can judge when the demand for time off will be at its peak and plan accordingly.

Effective strategies include cross-training employees to cover essential tasks, hiring temporary staff, or adjusting work schedules to accommodate time off requests.

Proper planning during peak vacation time shows staff you respect their personal time and that you are cognizant of work-life balance and employee health and well-being. Doing your best to accommodate time off during peak vacation times is a way to cultivate a positive work culture and promote job satisfaction among employees. This can often contribute to increased employee engagement, productivity, and loyalty.

If employees taking their vacations at a certain time of year does not fit with your business model, it may be necessary to designate time off blackout days.

Time off blackout days restricts employees from taking time off during a period when it is crucial they are on the job. For example, a florist may establish a blackout period in the week leading up to and on Valentine’s Day, when the flower business is at its peak.

If an employee is ill or has other personal reasons for requesting time off during a blackout period, the manager could review the request for that specific case.

Vacation Schedule

To effectively ensure a smooth vacation schedule for employees, having a request approval system in place can help managers and HR. A simple process for both employees and managers can help ensure all information is properly tracked and approved in an efficient, timely fashion.

You might ask employees to submit requests within a certain timeline (60 days in advance, for example.) This gives managers or HR adequate notice to plan for the time absent with scheduling, so the employee’s role is filled during their vacation time.

This is where current, reliable scheduling software can be utilized. It can help employees submit their requests electronically, eliminating the need for easily misplaced paper forms and time-consuming manual processing. The requests can be reviewed and approved online just as quickly as they are submitted.

The right program will also include peak vacation time/PTO request policies and guidelines to ensure employees are clear about the process and what is expected of them when submitting a request. This helps managers make fair decisions when considering and approving vacation requests.

Time and attendance tracking software also streamlines the vacation request and approval process by sending reminders and tracking accumulated time earned. This saves managers and HR staff time and reduces the risk of errors.

Time off allowances

The amount of paid time off for individual employees varies greatly. Those working in the public sector for a federally regulated employer are entitled to at least two weeks of vacation annually after one year of employment, three weeks annually after five years, and four weeks after 10 years. This is standardized, as paid time off usually is in a government position or a union environment.

In the private sector, it can be more flexible and sometimes goes beyond the minimum federal or provincial standards. Depending on the position, sector, and the offer of employment, time off allowances can exceed what is legally required. This is part of an employee’s compensation package that can be perceived as just as valuable as their salary and a point to be negotiated before signing on with a company.

Conditions for time off allowances should be outlined in an employee’s contract or collective agreement so they know exactly how many days off they are entitled to take each year.

Peak vacation time perimeters

From time to time, managers, business owners, and/or HR will come across an employee who might push the limit when it comes to taking peak vacation time. For instance, an employee may ask for time off during the same peak periods every year or they may request more time than what they are entitled to.

A good starting point to manage this is to actively track and manage the employee’s remaining days off – if there are any outstanding. Most software applications can track this automatically.

It might be a good opportunity to discuss vacation policy and the request process as a team.

It’s up to you as a manager, business owner, or HR professional to enforce policies, and if necessary, decline a request that exceeds what the employee’s offer of employment or contract specifies.

Frequently asked questions

How can management/HR address potential conflicts and staffing challenges during peak vacation times?

Having a clear communication strategy and a fair and transparent scheduling system in place can help avoid ambiguity or conflicts during peak vacation time. Cross-training for employees is also effective so that others can temporarily fill the role of the employee who is on vacation.

How can I train managers to oversee peak vacation time scheduling?

Focus on clear communication between managers and employees, set expectations, and provide resources such as online vacation request tools. It may also be beneficial to encourage proactive planning and stress the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

How can managers and HR encourage employees to plan and schedule peak vacation time in advance?

HR and managers may benefit from clearly communicating the guidance for scheduling peak vacation time in advance. They may also stress the importance of advance planning to avoid scheduling conflicts and to ensure that employees have their approvals in place. The “First come first serve” rule outlined earlier in this article can help as well. The earlier an employee submits a time off request, the likelihood is greater of them being granted peak vacation time.

How can managers and HR monitor and track peak vacation time and watch trends to modify policies as necessary?

The right scheduling application can help employees request and track their time off from any device. Automation is often the most efficient and cost-effective way to monitor peak vacation time requests and trends. Once a pattern is established, policies and procedures can be revisited and if necessary, adjusted to benefit all parties involved.

Learn More

At ADP, we understand the struggles of managing vacation requests during peak time. Get in touch with us today and we’ll walk you through the solutions we offer — including how companies like yours use them. Call 866-622-8153 or start a quote.

This guide is intended to be used as a starting point in analyzing peak vacation time and is not a comprehensive resource of requirements. It offers practical information concerning the subject matter and is provided with the understanding that ADP is not rendering legal or tax advice or other professional services.