Manage Time Off Effectively With 4 Easy Tips
Has time off management been time-consuming lately?
Spending too much time managing time off requests and employee absences can be detrimental to company progress, but time off is essential to maintaining employee morale and performance. Managing time off does not have to be time-consuming or difficult. Here are 4 tips on how to manage time off requests effectively.
Make It A Priority
Given that time off management can often be frustrating, it often tends to get put on the backburner. Prioritizing time off management ensures that employee time off can be properly managed, especially when it comes to a company with hundreds of employees.
Through the use of time off request forms, spreadsheets, and calendars, employees can request time off and submit it, for the manager to then input the information into a calendar or spreadsheet.
A specific tray or box to submit paper time off request forms works well, as does an online form. This way, all the time off requests are located in one place for easy access, and none are missed.
By reviewing all time off requests on a specific day, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, employees will know when to submit their requests to ensure that all requests are reviewed in a timely fashion.
Create A Written Policy
A written policy outlining time off rules and requirements is necessary. This document should be shared with all employees to promote transparency. Employees should familiarize themselves with all rules and parameters when it comes to requesting time off, making managing requests much easier.
Setting times when employees cannot take time off is a good rule to include in the policy. For example, if you run an office supply and stationery store, then back-to-school could be a very busy time for you. You would include in your policy that employees are not allowed to take time off from August through October; however, the rest of the year is fair game.
Not allowing employees to take time off during busy times ensures that the business will flourish during peak times, rather than flounder due to being understaffed and overworking available employees.
Institute A Deadline For Requests
Scheduling in advance is essential to managing time off effectively. Managers should outline how far in advance they must receive time off requests within their policy, and make these requirements clear to employees.
Requiring time off requests weeks or months in advance ensures that no scheduling issues will arise, and managers will not find themselves stressed while trying to deal with employees who are taking time off right away.
Requiring time off requests to be submitted in advance also gives managers time to deal with conflicting requests. Some great ways to prioritize requests over others include the reason for leave, seniority, and a first-come, first-serve basis. Using a combination of methods is recommended, given that all situations are different and may need to be handled accordingly.
For example, if two employees both want to take the same day Friday off for a friend’s birthday weekend trip but one of them submitted it weeks in advance while the other only asked for it a week ago, prioritizing on a first-come-first-serve basis would be a good idea.
Of course, at one point or another, we’ve all required last-minute sick days, or time off to handle an emergency. These events are difficult to plan for and should be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.
But, for the most part, requiring employees to submit time off requests by a specific date gives them time to complete their work before their absence or allocate tasks to other team members. This saves managers the headache of reassigning work to other team members and juggling last-minute requests.
Time Off Management Software
Lastly, the easiest way to manage time off requests and scheduling is through a cloud-based time off management software, like Kiku!
Employees can fill out the required fields and submit time off requests easily that then can be approved or rejected with a simple click of a button. Different types of leave are available and customizable so that managers can ensure that employees are taking off the time that they need for the right reasons.
Notifications alert employees once their request has been approved or rejected. Once time off has been approved, it is automatically added to a synced calendar for easy viewing and access.
Storing all employee absences in one place allows managers to easily access information, and ensure absences are not overlapping when approving a request. Employees can reference the software as well to plan their time off around others that are already scheduled.
This reduces the need for employers to cross-reference email threads or other documents when dealing with employee time off requests. Employees can also reference the software to see if anyone will be taking time off in the coming weeks, however, Kiku provides HR managers with an even easier way to manage upcoming time off — notifications!
Kiku’s notifications are a game-changer. Managers receive instant notifications when new time off requests are submitted, as do employees when their request has been approved or declined. This ensures everyone is informed about upcoming time off and offers time for employees to tie up all loose ends prior to leaving the office.
Finally, Kiku helps everyone at the company celebrate each other through notifications about birthdays, work anniversaries, and more! Managers can input employees’ birthdays and start dates so that Kiku sends notifications for these special days and team members can congratulate each other and send warm wishes. Moreover, Kiku also notifies everyone of upcoming company holidays so that they know not to come to work.
Cloud-Based Time Off Management Solution
Kiku manages all of your time off requests in one cloud-based solution that is easy for both managers and employees to access. Request time off, customize leave, celebrate birthdays, work anniversaries, and more, all with Kiku integrated into Slack! Visit our website to learn more about Kiku today!
