August is nearly upon us. The traditional time when we take a well-deserved bit of time off to spend with the family and relax. But what do you do if you suddenly have to cancel your staff member’s annual leave because of a business reason?
Plan and prepare
We all know that running a business can sometimes be hectic, which is why forward planning and preparation is key. The decision to cancel your staff member’s annual leave cannot be taken lightly and must be for a clear business reason. You also have to show that you have considered all potential alternatives. If you do find yourself in a situation where there is no alternative but to ask your team to stay at work, you must show that you have weighed up every alternative.
If you do find yourself in an emergency business situation, where cancelled holidays are a potential solution, it may also be advisable to look at how you are organising and running your business. A Management Development Programme will give you the skills you need to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
Keep it legal
Hopefully all of your contracts and handbooks are up to date and your team are clear about the rules around holidays and the need to cancel them. Regularly check your policies to ensure that they are relevant to changing employment legislation.
As a minimum your team should know:
- How much annual leave they are entitled to – the statutory time for full time workers is 28 days.
- Cancellation guidelines – Working time regulations state that as a minimum you must give the same length of notice as the booked leave, so 3 days’ notice for 3 days leave.
- Should you decide to cancel annual leave, your employee must still be able to take their full statutory leave.
Communicate
Giving your staff the news that their annual leave is cancelled is never going to be greeted with open arms and balloons, but if you’ve already fostered an environment based on good communication, it may be received better.
Keeping your team regularly updated on business trends and how the business is doing allows them to emotionally invest in your company. Feeling that they are members of a team will make them far more likely to sacrifice time away as part of an overall team effort.
If you and your staff do have holidays coming up (and hopefully you won’t be cancelling them) the team at Dakota Blue wish you a relaxing and restful break.