Be Available and Flexible for Your Team
Your team looks to you for guidance, especially during times of change or turmoil. As a leader, you need to maintain the lines of communication and practice an open-door...
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By: Ann Geier
Published: 10/10/2007
Every manager wants to do the best by her employees, so saying "no" to time off may be one of the most difficult things you'll have to do. Here are my thoughts on what to do when you cannot grant these requests.
Develop formal procedures
Make sure your employee policies answer the following questions:
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Try these strategies
1. Specify prime weeks. At my facility, we place limits on the number of employees who can take vacation at certain critical times. During Christmas week, for example, we rotate work according to seniority by each position category. We don't permit full-week vacation requests for this period. We grant single-days off according to the demands of the surgery schedule.
2. Prioritize requests. We let staffers submit several weeks' worth of vacation requests at once. However, we require them to signify which are their most important and/or least flexible requests and give priority to honoring those weeks. We also encourage submitting requests as early in the year as possible.
If it comes down to choosing between two time-off requests, we favor the employee with seniority. However, we at least attempt to rotate time off during the prime weeks. We inform staffers of these "decision-clinching" considerations at the time they are hired.
3. Manage conflicts before they arise. Sometimes employees can work things out amongst themselves. If two or more employees want the same time off, encourage them to meet and see if they resolve things. If this still results in a conflict, use the policies in place (such as seniority) to make the decision. To handle unexpected requests, develop relationships with per diem and contract employees and cross train employees so that you can fill your core staffing requirements. A nursing assistant who is trained for the front desk can allow for a receptionist to be off, when the policy would otherwise make it impossible.
Involve your employees
One final thought: Ask employees for their input regarding your policies for granting time off. Your policies should be open to periodic quality improvement review on the same basis as any other practice in place at the facility. Not only does this maximize long-term employee buy-in for your time-off policies, but it also increases the chances for successful resolution when conflicts arise in the short-term.
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