Holiday time off – does your culture allow equitable distribution?
How are you taking care of your employees during the holidays?
The holidays are considered a time of year when families gather the most. Consider this: are your newer employees able to enjoy this time with family? Is the time off policy equitable in your organization or are you, as a leader, shackled to the “way we’ve always done things” mentality of your organization’s culture? Are new employees offered the same time off considerations as those with seniority, or are they just the “low man on the totem pole” and have to wait for another new employee to come before enjoying the luxuries of seniority? Are you having problems retaining employees?
When you round on your employees (and as a leader you should be rounding regularly on your employees), ask them if they feel they get enough time off during the holidays. Ask them if they feel the culture of holiday time off requests are equitable for ALL employees. Then, look at your holiday PTO policies. Oh! You don’t have a separate one for holidays and regular time off? Interesting. Have these policies kept up with the newer workplace standards and the expectations of current generations? Studies have shown that current generations value time off. It does not mean they will work any less hard or be unproductive. They are just looking for that work-life balance.
Because technology has allowed us to gain great efficiencies, gone are the days of the 100-hour work week. Let’s face it: work slows down during the holidays. Many organizations opt to close for a week during the season. If you have that luxury, use it! Healthcare, law enforcement, and other similar services cannot do that. But we must, as leaders in those sectors, come up with new ways to serve our people. If you are a healthcare leader, stay in town for the two weeks of Christmas and New Year’s. Walk through those halls. What do you notice? The only ones there are the nurses and ancillary staff. Administrative staff and most leaders have taken their time, while their staff work mandated OT as if it is any other day of the year. Do you eliminate the mandated OT during the holiday season? Do you request that all leaders assist with staffing shifts to allow for rotating staff time off?
Employee engagement doesn’t just happen during the normal “workday.” How employees are treated at work regarding time off requests often affects home lives as well. Review your PTO policies. Try thinking outside of the box. Understanding that round-the-clock businesses such as healthcare cannot close, try using a strategy that has proven successful with many military units and even in healthcare. Keep a rotating schedule. Block off Christmas week and the week of New Year’s. Offer half the employees on a unit time off during one of the weeks and offer the other half during New Year’s week. The next year, swap the weeks. This strategy ensures that everyone gets some time off during those critical two weeks of seasonal family time. Or have the departments devise their own time off schedule that does not exclude the newer employees from having that cherished time off with families for the holidays. Remember, we want to retain not only the senior employees but the new hires as well.
Whatever option you decide, make sure that all employees in the department have input. And throw out those antiquated HR policies regarding time off…for the holidays at least. This family-focused policy will make for a more positive work life, an engaged and appreciative staff, and ultimately a happier home life. Serve your people well so they can serve your patients well.
