During the holiday season, many of us want to spend time with friends and family without worrying about work-related responsibilities. The problem is that many of your coworkers have the same idea. Additionally, there are some people in fields that must continue to operate throughout the holiday period, which poses a difficult challenge to navigate.
Tips for Requesting Time Off during the Holidays
When you want to take time off during the holidays, it’s important to be flexible, willing to compromise, negotiate, plan ahead, and offer solutions for covering your work while you’re away. Below are some tips for successfully requesting time off from work during the holiday season.
Know Your Available Leave
Before you request time off during the holidays, check your available annual or personal leave to ensure you have the time to use. Also, find out if your company has a “use it or lose it” leave policy, which may mean you have to take vacation days before the end of the fiscal or calendar year or risk losing them.
Check the company policy to see if there are guidelines for requesting leave, and make sure to comply with them. This information should be available in your company’s employee handbook or on its website.
Also, check if your employer closes on certain days during the holiday period – some companies give Christmas Day off, for example, while others may close for a week between Christmas and New Year’s.
Remember that while many employers offer leave during the holidays, they are not legally required to do so. There are no federal regulations mandating holiday leave or pay. State laws may vary, so check with your local Department of Labor for information.
Request Early Instead
Strategies for dealing with this complex situation during the holiday period can vary based on your personal circumstances. However, the earlier you request, the more likely your request is to be approved. If you work in sectors such as retail, hospitality, IT, or healthcare, where coverage must be maintained, you may need to discuss the schedule with your manager and colleagues.
One approach is to prioritize your holiday preferences as early as possible and bring it up for discussion with your supervisors and coworkers. The earlier you bring up the subject, the more flexibility you’ll have when negotiating. However, being the first person to request leave does not guarantee that your request will be approved, but it gives you more leeway in the negotiation process.
Be Ready to Negotiate
Be understanding and patient when requesting leave. Kindness goes a long way. You should also spend some time thinking about how to negotiate effectively if your request isn’t fully approved.
For example, if your family gathers on Christmas Eve, you could volunteer to work on Christmas Day so that you can take the day before off. Or, if you have coworkers celebrating Jewish or Islamic holidays, you could volunteer to work those days in exchange for coverage on Christmas or New Year’s.
Another approach is to explore the possibility of splitting shifts during the holidays. For example, you could suggest covering shifts from 6 AM to 12 PM or from 12 PM to 6 PM instead of the long shifts you usually work.
Plan Ahead
If continuous coverage isn’t a concern in your field, planning ahead can be the best way to secure time off during the holidays. Anticipate deadlines that occur during the holiday period, and set your deadline for completion by December 15 to ensure that you complete your work before the holiday break. Sharing your plan to work extra hours or do what’s necessary to clear holiday work with your supervisor and team members in advance can help alleviate any concerns. Bringing up this matter with your team ahead of time can also help avoid competing requests from coworkers.
When
When submitting your leave request, be sure to explain to your supervisors how you plan to ensure that all your responsibilities will be taken care of before you leave for your vacation.
Summary
Ask early: The earlier you submit your request, the more likely it is to be approved.
Plan ahead: Clean up your task list before the holiday so you don’t leave your coworkers in a tough spot.
Be kind: For managers, ensuring coverage during holidays can be a logistical nightmare. Be patient and polite when requesting time off.
Thank you for using our site! We hope this information is helpful to you. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
Sources:
U.S. Department of Labor. “Holiday Pay,” Accessed Nov. 29, 2021.
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/tips-for-asking-for-time-off-at-the-holidays-2064023
Leave a Reply