As we enter a new annual leave year for many, lots of people are planning their 2023 trips, so prepare for a flurry of annual leave requests.

Although most employers encourage staff to book holidays early, being bombarded with requests as soon as the new year starts can be hard to manage if you don’t have the right systems in place.

In this blog, we’ve put together some key things to look out for, to prevent being left short staffed and top ways to manage leave requests.

Booking holiday around Bank Holidays

Savvy employees can make the most of their annual leave by booking time off around Bank Holidays. And this year, there is an extra Bank Holiday to mark the King’s Coronation that staff can take advantage of.

Employers should be prepared for staff to scramble over themselves to request holidays around these popular days to make the most of their holiday entitlement.

More foreign travel throughout the year

With most countries dropping their Covid entry restrictions, people have more confidence to travel again.

We are now seeing a return to foreign travel, which had been halted due to the pandemic.

Regular staycations

In recent years, a spotlight has been shone on the health and wellbeing benefits associated with taking a break from work to recharge. A new study by Kuoni Travel and Nuffield Health found holidaymakers’ ability to recover from stress, sleep quality and blood pressures were all significantly improved, compared to the group who had not had a holiday.

With the current cost of living crisis, it’s expected many people will book time off to spend at home or elsewhere in the UK.

How to cope with mass holiday requests

Use an automated system

Some companies are still using physical holiday request forms, which are time consuming and can easily get lost. More and more businesses are finding that going digital is a much more efficient and reliable way of dealing with holiday requests.

LeavePlanner makes approving and monitoring holiday requests quick and simple. Businesses can use the online calendar in real-time to keep track of outstanding holidays (including any time carried over from the previous year), so you don’t have to! No more hours spent in spreadsheets, trying to keep on top of it all.

To maintain the right staffing levels, administrators can set a minimum attendance for departments, or blackout periods to restrict booking holidays during key times of the year. LeavePlanner can also be used to create working schedules and rotas to arrange cover, so you are not left short staffed.

Make your life easier and arrange your free LeavePlanner trial today. Call Steve on 01252 636 070 or email support@leaveplanner.com.