Time Off Flexibility During the Holidays

Stress levels rise around the holidays as some companies experience their busiest time of year and commitments to family and friends become more frequent. As with everything, the COVID-19 pandemic has added another layer of anxiety this year. Team members may have cancelled or postponed previously planned vacations leading to extended amounts of time with no significant breaks. Encouraging and allowing employees to take time off this holiday season can go a long way in decreasing burnout and increasing productivity by letting workers recharge, relax and focus on family.

A study by consulting firm West Monroe found that during the holidays in the United States:

• Over half of employees surveyed said they feel uncomfortable asking their manager for time off.
• Remote work and flexible scheduling results in greater employee productivity.
• Closing the office more than just the day of the holiday, or allowing employees to leave early for family events, increases productivity rates.

Here are some ways to ensure that your employees feel supported during the holidays:

• If possible, close the office for additional days beyond the federal holiday itself
  • For example, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are the federal holidays, but closing for the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve has been shown to increase employee satisfaction and productivity — which goes a long way in retention of employees. If it is not possible to close for additional days, other options for disconnecting, such as flexible scheduling, are extremely important.
• Consider flexible scheduling options
  • Many employees desire flexible scheduling or the ability to work remotely, in order to spend more time with family during the holidays. Allowing employees to leave early, come in late or work a few hours each day from home (or while visiting family) can lead to an enormous increase in employee satisfaction.
• Encourage leaders to support employees
  • Managers may not be able to approve all holiday time off requests but encouraging managers to have open conversations with their team can help ensure fair processing of PTO requests. Encourage managers to minimize unwanted distractions during the holidays to help employees stay focused on what is most important while still giving flexibility to spend time with family.

Company and department demands may not make it feasible for everyone to have additional days off or to take advantage of flexible scheduling.

Allowing these small wins for your employees when you can will boost productivity and satisfaction, a win-win for employers and employees alike. Enjoy your holiday season!

Resource: How to Help Your Employees Stay Productive Around the Holidays