How do most businesses get through the holidays and other exceptionally busy times, even with requests for time off from employees? We believe that there are actually several ways to accommodate requests from at least some of the staff and still be able to operate at full capacity. Below are seven tips that prove useful for most businesses.

1) Allow employees to telecommute-

For any business that is set up in such a way that employees can telecommute or work entirely from home, allowing them to do so during the holidays can keep them productive while simultaneously giving them a chance to spend time with their families. It is a step that works for many businesses and one that is well worth considering if at all possible.

2) Provide incentive pay and special recognition-

Providing extra pay for those individuals that stay to work during the busiest times is one of the best ways to ensure that fewer people ask for time off. It also works well to provide special recognition for such individuals. This can be accomplished by providing them with something simple that lets them know that their help is appreciated, such as inspirational greeting cards or even a book on daily motivation.

3) Use part-time help-

This is one of the easiest ways to ensure that there is enough help during holidays and other busy times. People that are looking for part-time work will undoubtedly be grateful for the opportunity and it gives regular employees a break so they can spend time with their own families.

4) Adjust the schedule-

It is a lot easier to schedule accordingly for things like holidays because you already know that this is going to be a challenge. When you know ahead of time that people are going to want to take off in large numbers, you can adjust the schedule accordingly. Even if everybody has to work for a few hours, it is better than having one or two people that are stuck with the entire shift when they don’t want to be.

5) Grant requests for time off on a first-come, first-serve basis-

It might seem cold, but you can grant as many requests as possible for the people that ask first and everyone else simply has to work. This is the way that a lot of businesses choose to operate so employees know ahead of time that it is imperative to get their request for time off in early.

6) Have a plan-

When you already know that you are going to be short-staffed at some of your busiest times, you can have a plan that allows you to function accordingly. It really does make it a lot easier if you already have something in mind concerning the way that you plan on handling things.

7) If necessary, keep everyone on the schedule-

Everything really depends on how many employees you have and the type of business you are operating. If you don’t have any other option but to keep everyone on the schedule, everyone will simply have to deal with that. Perhaps you can have everyone work a reduced number of hours during the holidays so that there is a mixture of work and personal time.

Now that you know which steps you can take to minimize your own level of frustration during the holidays, you can get down to the business of actually putting these plans into place. Remember, by recognizing your employees and letting them know that you appreciate their efforts, you’re likely to get a lot more out of them because they are willing to go the extra mile when they know that it makes a difference.