After recent fears around possible jet fuel shortages and flight cancellations, the messaging from airlines and the travel industry is that summer holidays are on. They are striking a reassuring note for those who may have been concerned about booking a holiday abroad – most airlines are operating normally and there is no need to worry about a shortage of jet fuel.
With increasing confidence for travelers, coupled with recent hot weather in the UK and a trend for ‘staycations’, businesses may see a surge in annual leave requests. So, what are the three top things you need to know to get your business ‘summer holiday ready’?
- A holiday reminder can make your life easier
- Managing competing annual leave requests
- What if something does go wrong?
A holiday reminder can make your life easier
Making sure employees are familiar with your Company’s holiday policy / request procedure, particularly the amount of notice usually required, can make your life easier and save time in the long run by helping to avoid some common issues arising. You may want to give a reminder to employees if you think you may receive a lot of holiday requests this summer or perhaps employees may be less familiar with the holiday rules in your business than has previously been the case, for example if there has been a high turnover in your workforce.
Managing competing annual leave requests
This summer could be a more popular time than normal for employee annual leave requests, whether it is:
- Employees recovering their confidence to make travel plans (with some having chosen not to use much of this year’s entitlement up to now)
- Families looking to make the most of school holidays
- Employees being tempted by some of the holiday bargains that are being offered following the recent travel slump
- Employees trying to avoid possible price rises later in the year by booking early
Remember when dealing with annual leave requests, fairness is key. You should be familiar with your business’s annual leave request procedure and deal with all requests fairly and appropriately.
You can of course refuse an annual leave request where there are business grounds to do so and the request cannot be accommodated, for example other employees are already absent at the time requested and accepting a further request would take you below minimum operating numbers. In such circumstances it will be important to clearly communicate with the employee and to keep appropriate records.
Bear in mind that sometimes employees request annual leave for something other than leisure, if this happens in your business and you are considering refusing the request, please get in touch for advice before acting.
What if something does go wrong?
Sometimes things do go wrong when an employee is on annual leave, one of the more common concerns for businesses is what they can expect and what they can do if an employee is late back from holiday.
Contact
- What to expect – If an employee experiences travel or other disruption and cannot make it back to work as required, they should contact you to let you know. They should provide information about their situation, such as what plans are in place for their return and when you can expect them to be back at work. If you are contacted by an employee in this situation, you should not be afraid of asking for this information and where appropriate for them to keep you updated, for example if there is uncertainty around arrangements for their return.
- What you can do – If your employee fails to attend work and you do not hear from them, you should take the initiative and try to make contact. As next steps will depend on the individual situation, get in touch with us for specific advice.
Pay and other matters
Pay – If an employee is unable to attend work due to travel disruption you will not usually be required to pay them unless they have a contractual right to this or you have paid employees in similar situations in the past.
This is not great news for your employee, especially if they have been splashing out whilst on holiday, so you may find yourself dealing with a request to take the work time they will miss as annual leave. If they have enough annual leave left, this can be a practical solution all round. Alternatively, if an employee will miss a few hours of work rather than a few days, you may wish to agree with them that the missed time will be made up (but be mindful of the rules regarding working time and rest breaks, usually under the Working Time Regulations).
Disciplinary action – If an employee has genuinely been affected by unexpected travel disruption, they have contacted you as they should and tried to get back to work in a timely manner, it is unlikely to be reasonable to take disciplinary action for their delayed return. If you feel your employee has not acted appropriately in relation to the delay or communicating with you, you should contact us for advice on the facts of your case.