Time to rest… we need it! To reset, relax and then come back, if anything, with greater enthusiasm and energy for our responsibilities. Here are some recommendations for planning our staff's holidays.
REAC is made up of small and medium-sized companies. In each of these more than 70 SMEs spread across mainland Spain (plus the islands), management and day-to-day operations are extremely important for efficiency and good service. But what about staff management? Internal communication, human resources (HR) and labour relations are equally decisive.
So is the management of time off. Now that we are in the middle of summer, we want to look precisely at the subject of holidays. How do we organise ourselves?
SMEs or large companies? It's not the same
Taking responsibility for organising holidays requires a great deal of organisation. And knowing how to listen to everyone. Planning is essential, especially bearing in mind that we are talking about organisations with departments that often consist of a single person.
We are talking about companies with 250 employees or fewer, or with between 250 and 1,000 staff; in other words, the world of SMEs.
It is a different matter for companies with more than 1,000 workers, with a structure large enough to hire staff during holiday periods precisely in order to cover the workforce's time off.
Tips for companies with small workforces
As mentioned, SMEs will try to plan, reach consensus, agree and talk with employees so that holidays, which are a labour right, can be taken while the company continues to provide its service efficiently. It is a matter of good management and organisation.
- By law, holidays cannot be shorter than 30 calendar days a year, although they could be longer (depending on the Collective Agreement). It is preferable to schedule this time off according to the company's needs, striking a reasonable balance with employees' preferences; because some people want, or need, to rest in short periods (weekly, for example), while others prefer to switch off for a whole month.
- A rota system can contribute to a fair distribution of holidays, alternating who gets to choose their dates. If some take their days before others, the following year they should let the latter choose first.
- It is key to forecast work three months ahead (as far as possible, of course), at least in order to share out tasks among employees, assuming there may be a peak in workload (remember that in roadside assistance, call-outs increase in summer) while the team is short-staffed. In any case, if one worker has to cover for another when the time comes, they will need to be properly prepared to replace them.