The time is upon us…. The summer holidays are here!
This means suitcases are getting packed, school children are getting giddy, hospitality is ramping up, and, well, employers and employees are maybe feeling a little frazzled about it all?
Summer holidays are often referred to as a juggling act by parents. We would say it is a juggling act for everyone involved. From employers managing requests for early finishes or swaps to watch World Cup games, whoever you support. To early finishes for school sports days, end of year assemblies, graduations, and everything else that gets thrown into the last week of term. Maybe a last-minute annual leave request because Jet2 have a good deal on, and then someone’s dog eats a bar of chocolate to throw another obstacle into the mix!
July and August have the same chaotic feeling that December can bring, but with the proper summer weather we’re having, we’re all sweaty and chaotic, rather than cool and calming down!
So, what can you be doing as a founder or business leader, to keep on top of it all, whilst supporting your employees to live their best life outside of work and bring the best version of themselves to work…. Unsurprisingly, there’s not one answer, but a multitude of actions you could be taking.
Here are some of our top tips…
Encourage annual leave requests to be submitted early
Proactively reminding your employees to take their annual leave, to enjoy themselves, relax, do whatever they want to! What a great communication to send around your business!
Especially for those holiday years that run January through to December, now is a great time of year to remind people of the days they have remaining. Whenever your annual leave year runs from and to, this is a great exercise to do.
You could take it one step further and highlight any weeks that are currently fully booked, and the weeks that have some space left. This should avoid the risk of any disappointment.
Remind employees of the family-friendly policies you have
Parental Leave is a wonderful policy that allows parents to take unpaid time away from work in weekly blocks.
Flexible working can be utilised, even on a temporary basis during the school holidays. Whilst employees have the right to request this, you could think ahead and advertise any flexibility that you are able to offer.
Don’t shy away from reminding people about these policies!
Build a back-up plan
If you know the summer is going to be a little wild, why not send out a comms to all employees asking for those who are up for some overtime, or may be available for last minute shifts!
Having this list in your back pocket will make what could be stressful situations, much smoother to manage.
You could even think about incentives to keep morale high during the busy periods! If employees are taking on overtime, it’s important they know this is valued, or next time you might not have the same uptake!
Support employee wellbeing
As we have mentioned, many people will be juggling multiple things, and it doesn’t matter what those things are; they should be recognised.
Take the time to recognise your employees’ hard work, ensure breaks are being taken, and promote a healthy work-life balance.
All in all, we hope you all have been able to take some time to enjoy the weather, or have some time booked in over the coming weeks, whether that be working from the garden, long weekends, or finding cool places inside to relax!
And remember, the Thread HR Ltd. team are here to make the juggling act easier for you!