How to Keep Your Business Staffed During the Holidays

With the holidays upon us and employees eager to use vacation days before yearend, many small employers are trying to keep their business adequately staffed without facing employee resentment. So we asked the experts to weigh in on striking the right balance.

Put your vacation policy in writing. It’s too late to help you this year, but it’s a great reminder for 2014. “A clear vacation policy can help avoid confusion,” says David A. Weiman, a management psychologist with Weiman Consulting in Wynnewood, Pa. Make sure that each new employee reads and understands the vacation policy.

Have employees schedule time off early. “It’s inevitable that staff will ask to take the same days off, and since you can’t ask employees not to take those days off, it’s your responsibility to start planning ahead,” says Tom Gimbel, president and chief executive officer of LaSalle Network, a Chicago-based staffing firm. Have your staffers submit their vacation dates for the entire year in January — or at least during the first quarter. Once you get all the vacation requests in, check to see if there are conflicts — such as periods when too many members of the same department will be missing. “See if employees can figure out among themselves a way to ensure the desired level of coverage,” Weiman suggests. Read more…

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