Avoiding a showdown on holidays

When staff at outdoor retailer Go Outdoors came back after their Christmas break they had an important job to do. They were required to sit down and, under company guidelines, book at least 75% of their holiday by the end of February.

At first glance such a policy may sound a little dictatorial, but in reality the benefits are huge.

From a practical point of view it helps the retailer improve holiday cover and manage staff costs; but Go Outdoors retail operations director Lee Bagnall, who says he picked up the discipline from B&Q, says it has other benefits. “It forces staff to take their holiday and they then feel better for it, so end up thanking you,” he says.

And better planning means it is more likely staff will do something constructive with their time off, he says.

Jason Kemp, managing director of store operations consultancy Envision Retail, says such forward planning also helps avoid staff trying to take holiday at peak trading times. “You may also not want your lingerie adviser taking holiday at Valentine’s or the staff at a chocolate retailer taking holiday at Easter,” he says. “This impacts the amount of weeks left for staff to take their holidays and you tend to run into peak periods like July and August with everyone wanting to take time off.”

Boots UK head of retail operations Mike Stredder agrees, saying: “All teams carefully plan holidays throughout the year to ensure this can be achieved, while great customer care is still delivered and there is a good balance of expertise at all times. Effective forward planning is particularly key for retail to ensure a fair and balanced approach to managing holiday requests and trading on the busiest days of the year.”

Eversheds employment law partner Audrey Williams believes encouraging staff to plan their holidays more effectively is sensible.

“In an industry where you have such peaks and troughs it makes sense to balance out the employee’s and retailer’s needs,” she says, adding if staff are allowed to take holiday at peak periods it puts remaining workers under more stress.

Kemp says that forcing staff to take their holiday will help the employee’s health and well-being. “There are some staff who work more than their standard hours and never get around to booking holidays. Similarly, staff who do not book holidays early enough may find that their request is refused. This can have a massive impact on motivation and morale, and their physical and mental welfare,” he says.

Benefits of Planning

Ensures staff take their holiday entitlement

Avoids refusal of holidays

Prevents additional stress on remaining staff during peak trading

Avoids payment in lieu

Prevents rollover of holidays - if staff have not taken it in the first year they are unlikely to take it in the second

Staff will be more motivated and productive after a break

Helps staff make more use of their time off

Ensures staff organise breaks throughout the year