Simplifying Vacation Time

Summer is here, and employees are ready for vacations. Are you ready with a vacation policy that makes everybody happy and covers the workload?

U.S. Employee survey research shows that vacation time is a high priority for employees. We recommend that organizations make their vacation policy very clear in the onboarding process. Up Counsel says, “An easy-to-comprehend, well-enforced vacation policy avoids confusion and helps employees comprehend what steps they must follow in order to effectively schedule their time off.”

Employer Responsibilities

·      Determine employee eligibility for vacation. Decide if full-time and part-time employees receive vacation days and if employees need to be employed for a certain number of months before they receive vacation days.

·      Explain the accrual of vacation time. It might be a matter of the anniversary date of employment or how many hours per month of employment determine vacation time.

·      Clearly outline the necessary steps employees need to take before leaving, such as find another employee to perform their duties while they are gone.

·      Find a way to ensure each employee has a chance at prime vacation time by using a rotating request system.

Unlimited Vacation

Many organizations, including U.S. Employee Survey, offer unlimited vacation time. And while this could be abused, it rarely is. Advocates of unlimited vacation time say:

·      Offering unlimited vacation time indicates that your organization acknowledges and celebrates employees outside interests.

·      Unlimited vacation policies express trust, putting the responsibility of completing jobs and projects in a timely manner on employees instead of managers.

·      Unlimited vacation treats employees as responsible adults and builds morale.

Regardless of how your organization handles vacation policy, you need to enforce it fairly. Your employees are looking for the time off, and you want to be sure that things are running smoothly while they are gone.