Leave Management During Festivals: An HR’s Guide

The holiday season is fast approaching. In just a few days or weeks, employees will start booking tickets to their hometowns, planning vacations, or requesting remote work. For many, this is the only time of year when they can be with their families or take a much-needed break to rejuvenate.

While it is a joyous time for employees, it might be a stressful period for HR managers and business owners. A massive influx of leave requests from team members will barge in. It becomes difficult to deny those requests as everyone in the team deserves rest. However, it is challenging to keep operations running smoothly. 

The good news is that proper planning helps to achieve both. This blog contains a few effective tips for HR leaders and employers to manage leave requests during the festive season without any conflicts. Moreover, these tips will help HRs to have a stress-free festive season instead of worrying about the workload.

Table of Contents

Why Festive Breaks are Important?

Organisations should know why leave approvals during this season are not just an act of kindness but a business necessity.  

• The first thing is to boost morale by allowing employees to take time off during family celebrations.  

• Employees who take time to unwind will return with a good focus and energy.  

• Continuous work without timely breaks causes employee burnout, which indeed results in disengagement, errors, and attrition.  In a recently published article, Forbes quoted, “Employee Burnout as the hidden threat costing companies millions”.

• Flexible leave management strengthens employee retention in the long run.  

When HR and business leaders acknowledge the importance of breaks, it becomes easier to balance both employee well-being and business requirements. Now, let’s understand how to manage leave fairly during the festive season.

1. Plan Ahead for the Festive Season

Planning is the foundation of smooth leave management.  The important holidays will be known to everyone in the organisation, and the HR team or employers can confirm the same. 

HR departments should start communicating about festive leave policies at least a month in advance.  

Encourage employees to submit their leave requests early, ideally before finalising personal bookings. Reminders should be sent through email or HRMS portals. It is important for leads to gather tentative dates from their team members. Evaluate which departments are most likely to experience workload spikes. 

When planning begins early, the stress of last-minute approvals reduces drastically, and employees feel more assured about their holiday arrangements.

2. Set Clear Deadlines for Leave Requests 

Setting a deadline is one of the primary ways to avoid confusion for holiday leave applications. For instance, HRs can communicate to staff about the fact that leave requests should be submitted at least a month before the leave date during the festive season.  

When a leave request is clearly mentioned before, it gives managers the time to distribute workload and coordinate schedules without any last-minute surprises.   

3. Mention Expectations Early  

When it comes to high-demand leave periods, clarity is the key. HRs and employers should highlight policies before the festive season.  

• Maximum leave percentage: For example, no more than 40–50% of a team can be on leave at the same time. 

• Priority rules: Seniority, critical roles, or a first-come, first-served basis. 

• Blackout dates: If there are peak business days (like year-end reporting), make them clear. 

Once the staff knows the rules, there will be no disappointments or confusion.  

4. Keep Things Transparent

By maintaining transparency in the workplace, organisations can avoid misunderstandings. It is the HR’s responsibility to encourage employees in tentative planning leaves even though they haven’t finalised. This proactive communication ensures that leave approvals are seen as fair and well-managed, not arbitrary. 

 5. Use a Shared Leave Calendar

One of the best tools HRs can use is a shared leave calendar. This simple solution allows employees to see who else has already applied for leave on specific dates. A shared leave calendar showing the absentees on a particular day will keep the entire team in the loop. It also reduces overlapping absences, boosts team accountability, and builds mutual respect. The HR’s job of responding to repeated queries will be cut down significantly.  

6. Leverage HR Technology for Automation 

With HR software, managing leaves will be way easier. HRMS software helps in automating leave approvals based on the leave policies followed in your organisation. The leave balance tracking is easier for employers and staff as well. Attendance integration with payroll software will help in creating salary slip generation. Mobile app for HRMS helps in applying for leave or checking the status of leave from wherever they are. 

Also read about the HRMS Tools You Should Know!  

7. Train and Delegate Responsibilities 

Leave overlaps are unavoidable, even with planning, so cross-training will be of great help. Delegation ensures that even if multiple people are absent, the business doesn’t grind to a halt. 

To handle this, HR and managers should encourage cross-training. 

• Identify backup employees for key tasks. 

• Document processes for smooth handovers. 

• Assign “holiday buddies” so work doesn’t get stuck. 

8. Offer Flexibility Where Possible

HRs can provide alternatives like remote work options, flexible timing, rotational schedules, or half-days. In this way, companies can reduce resentment when not every leave request can be granted.  

9. Encourage Open Communication 

A festive season should be a time of cheer, but not frustration, for everyone in the organisation. HR leaders have to create a culture where staff feel comfortable discussing their requirements. A team meeting to align on leave schedules will be of great help. Provide an open channel for updates. This inclusive approach makes employees feel valued and reduces conflicts. 

 10. Don’t Forget HR and Employers Themselves 

HR professionals and business owners require the time to relax. Employees deserve breaks, and leaders benefit from recharging too. When employers have planned well before the holiday season and set boundaries, taking their festive breaks will not be a problem.  After all, a stress-free leader creates a positive ripple across the organisation.

Final Thoughts

By planning ahead, setting clear deadlines, being transparent, and leveraging technology, HRs and employers can ensure business continuity while letting employees enjoy their holidays. The key lies in balance: respecting employee needs while safeguarding operations. With smart strategies like shared calendars, cross-training, and flexible work options, both employees and employers can celebrate without stress. 

After all, festivals are about joy, family, and togetherness. When HR policies support that, the workplace becomes not just productive, but also truly human.