Crafting an Effective Time Off Request Policy

Implementing a quality exemption policy is an important achievement, and if you've done so recently, congratulations are in order. As per my experience, once your policy is in place and your employees are ready to request time off, it's worth thinking about and clarifying the actual process for requesting time off.

Reflecting on my experience as a human resource professional, a thoughtful and thorough time off request policy that clearly outlines the process for approving time off for employees can go a long way to avoiding confusion and helping employees anticipate which days they can be absent and which ones don't.

What is a Time Off Request Policy?

A time off request policy is a section in the employee handbook that clearly outlines the guidelines and rules for requesting paid or unpaid time off.

Most guidelines for requesting time off regulate the following:

How many days off (paid or unpaid) employees are allowed to request
How much time employees have to allow for when requesting time off
Are there certain dates or time periods (e.g. annually) for which your company cannot approve exemption requests?
The protocol for dealing with multiple/overlapping requests for compensatory time off

How to create an effective time off request policy

If you want to create an effective time off request policy that is specific to your company's needs, you should clarify the following:

Rules for how far in advance applications must be submitted

Make it clear how far in advance requests for time off will be accepted. This depends on your company's individual needs and goals and can range from a week to two months. If the allowable time frame depends on the number of days requested, you should also make this clear. For example, you may only need two weeks' lead time for an application of one or two days, but several months for an application of two or three weeks.

How often an employee can request vacation

Also determine how often employees can request vacation, especially if you have rules governing the frequency of requests. Perhaps employees can only request four days off per month, or they can submit a total of five time off requests per year. However you limit the number of time off requests, it's important that you communicate this clearly and that your rules are consistent and unbiased for all employees.

Specific times when applications will not be approved

In many companies there are certain times of the year - such as: the winter holidays, the school holidays and the summer months - when employees definitely want to have time off. Of course, business doesn't necessarily come to a standstill during these times, and without proper planning, staff shortages can quickly become a problem.

One option is to limit the number of employees who can have time off on a given day. For example, you can introduce a rule that allows a maximum of three employees to have time off at the same time. Another option is to completely block certain days so that no one can request vacation anymore.

If you decide to completely block certain days, you should make this clear from the start of the interview, as this arrangement could be a disincentive for some employees. As always, don't dictate to anyone if you want your policies to be respected and taken seriously.

How to handle overlapping requests

It is very likely that several employees will request vacation at the same time. To avoid a staff shortage during such times, it is important to establish clear protocols to determine who can and cannot take vacation. It's equally important to reassure employees that the time off approval process is fair - to that end, you can incorporate some of the following considerations into your time off requesting policies:

History of employee time off requests: You could give priority to those who have requested/taken fewer hours of vacation in the past.
First come, first served: You could choose to grant vacation to the first X employees to make an official request.
Reason for requesting: You might decide that reviewing the reasons for requesting time off will help employees decide who gets priority (e.g. you might balance attending a funeral versus attending a concert - however, note that such considerations can be very subjective).

How employees submit time off requests

Establish clear guidelines for submitting applications in your time off application guidelines. This ensures that all applications end up in the right place so that they can be reviewed and approved by the right person in a timely manner. Not to mention, it's helpful to collect all applications in the same place if you need to review them later or want to know how many days off are left. The following options for submitting exemption requests are all worth considering:

Email: You can instruct your employees to submit their time off requests via email. In this case, your policy should clearly specify what information must be included in the body of the email.
Digital or printed form: You could create a time off request form in digital and/or printed form (for companies that still use paper) and distribute it to team members. The form should, of course, contain space for the employee's information and the parameters of his request, as well as a field for the manager's approval or rejection of the request. If you need a template, you can use our form below.
An Exemption Management System: If you're tired of manual calculations and lengthy approval processes - be it paper or digital - it may be time to invest in a smart exemption management system. With software services like IceHrm, you can automate policy changes, renewals, accruals, and approvals. By using a leave management system, you can save time and improve employee satisfaction through a streamlined process.

Implementing a clear time off request policy fosters organizational clarity and fairness. Consider streamlining with IceHrm software for efficient management.