Start With a Written Policy, Not a Panic

Most holiday headaches don't come from people taking too much time off. They come from decisions being made on the hoof. Someone asks for a fortnight in August, you say yes on the spot, and by Friday three more requests land on your desk for the same week. Now you're either breaking a promise or running short-staffed through your busiest fortnight.

A short holiday policy solves most of that before it starts. It doesn't need to be a legal document — a single page, shared with everyone and referred to consistently, is usually enough. Set out the basics:

• How much leave everyone gets, including how bank holidays are handled. Most workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year.
• How to request it — in writing, through a shared calendar or a simple form.
• How much notice you need. A common rule is twice the length of the break requested: two days off, four days' notice; two weeks off, four weeks' notice.
• How quickly you'll respond — three working days is a reasonable standard.
• Peak periods, where requests are limited or must be in early.

Give everyone a copy, talk it through at a team meeting, and stick to it. The rules matter far less than the fact that everybody knows them.

Decide How Many People Can Be Off at Once

This is the single most useful number to agree. Look at your quietest weeks and your busiest, then work out the minimum cover you need to keep things running properly. If you've got a team of six, the honest answer might be "two at a time, but only one in the last week of the month."

Write that limit down. It gives you a defensible reason to say no that has nothing to do with favouritism, and it saves you making an awkward judgement call while someone is standing in front of you.

Where requests clash, be clear about how you'll choose. First-come, first-served is the simplest and easiest to explain. If you'd rather rotate priority — so the same person doesn't miss out on summer every year — say so in advance and keep a note of who got what last time. What you can't do is decide case by case, depending on who asks most persuasively.

Publish a Rota Far Enough Ahead to Be Useful

A rota nobody can see isn't a rota, it's a spreadsheet you own. Keep it simple and keep it current:

• Publish it at least four weeks ahead, so people can book travel and childcare.
• Make it visible to the whole team — a shared document, a wall planner or a rota tool.
• Show approved leave, not just requests, so nobody books a trip assuming cover exists.
• Flag busy weeks clearly so people plan around them rather than into them.

Remember that part-time staff accrue leave pro rata, and bank holidays often need to be handled separately for anyone who doesn't normally work Mondays.

Sort Out Cover Before Anyone Walks Out the Door

Cover is far easier to arrange when the person going away isn't the only one who knows how to do the job. Build a little overlap during ordinary weeks:

• Pair people up so every key task has a named deputy.
• Keep written notes for recurring jobs — supplier logins, regular orders, the paperwork the accountant needs.
• Run a short handover on the last day: what's live, what's due, who to contact if it goes wrong.
• Agree contact expectations. Most people don't want to be phoned on a beach, and you don't want to rely on it.

An hour of cross-training in a quiet week saves a day of firefighting later.

Be Consistent — and Explain Your Decisions

Nothing corrodes a small team faster than the feeling that the rules bend for some people and not others. If you approve one request and refuse an identical one, you need a reason that stands up: cover levels, peak trading, or the order in which requests arrived.

When you do have to say no:

• Reply promptly and in writing, with the reason.
• Offer an alternative — a different week, a shorter break, or a swap with a colleague.
• Keep a record of requests and decisions so you can show you've been even-handed.

It's also worth knowing that you can refuse a request for a set period, but you can't cancel leave you've already approved.

Review It Once a Year and Keep It Human

At the end of each holiday year, spend twenty minutes looking at what actually happened. Were there weeks where you were dangerously short? Did anyone miss out on the school holidays two years running? Was the notice period too long or too short to be workable?

Adjust the policy, tell everyone what's changed and why, then start the next year with a clean slate. A rota that's fair, visible and planned a month ahead takes the sting out of every request — and lets your team take the break they've earned without feeling guilty about it.