The best way to ensure your company's time-off culture is in line with its actual guidelines is to follow company policies regarding employee time off. Although there will always be exceptions, you shouldn't make them your new rule.
A company's culture can be eroded by unwarranted deviations from its policies, just as an invasive species can destroy an ecosystem.
If an employee requests something that is against company policy, make sure to talk with them about it and document the conversation. Your record of the conversation, whether you approve it or not, will help you maintain consistency down the road and may even prove useful if a similar decision is questioned in the future.
· You can demonstrate they will be negatively impacted by their absence
It's great to approve every time-off request, but what if Employee X requests time off during a critical period at work? It may be tempting to deny their excessive time-off request without thinking twice in this situation. Ensure you are prepared to explain your denial before you do that.
When employees want time off at an inconvenient time, it's difficult to quantify the opportunity cost to the organization. However, it's necessary. Employees can use these facts to understand the issue and not take the denial personally. Many employees are fine with moving their time-off requests to a more convenient time.
· When a worker takes too many vacation days at once
If you're not sure whether a time-off request qualifies as a leave of absence, you probably need to talk to your supervisor. You will want to ensure that your employee has a valid reason for an extended absence.
· Too little notice is given when a time-off request is made
Respecting employees even when a time-off request is denied is related to the previous point about handling last-minute time-off requests.