The holiday season is a time for employees to recharge and enjoy well-earned time away from work. For employers, however, increased PTO requests, year-end deadlines, seasonal demand, and employee absences can create workforce challenges.
Effective holiday workforce planning can help businesses balance employee time off with operational needs. By planning early, creating coverage strategies, cross-training employees, and considering temporary staffing support, employers can keep operations running smoothly throughout the holiday season.
At L.K. Jordan & Associates, we help businesses prepare for changing workforce needs with temporary, temp-to-hire, direct hire, payroll, and customized staffing solutions.
Plan Early for Holiday Absences
Encourage managers and employees to begin discussing holiday PTO well before November and December. Early planning gives employers a clearer picture of potential staffing gaps and more time to develop a coverage plan.
Review anticipated PTO, year-end deadlines, seasonal workload, and positions that must remain staffed. If additional help will be needed, starting early also provides more time to recruit and onboard temporary employees.
Create a Coverage Plan Before Employees Are Out
Once holiday schedules begin taking shape, identify the responsibilities that must continue while employees are away.
Cross-training employees on essential tasks can help prevent disruptions and reduce dependence on one person. Make sure employees covering responsibilities have access to necessary information, procedures, deadlines, and key contacts before their coworkers begin leave.
The goal is to make sure critical functions have reliable backup coverage throughout the holiday season.
Consider Temporary Staffing Support
Even with careful planning and cross-training, some businesses may not have enough internal resources to cover holiday absences or increased seasonal demand.
Temporary staffing can provide businesses with additional flexibility without immediately adding permanent headcount. Temporary employees can help provide:
- Administrative and office support
- Customer service coverage
- Warehouse, logistics, and production staffing
- Data entry and clerical assistance
- Accounting and year-end project support
- Short-term and project-based assistance
L.K. Jordan can help employers identify qualified temporary employees to support operations during employee vacations, busy periods, and year-end projects.
Avoid Holiday PTO Conflicts
Multiple employees may request the same popular days or weeks off, making a clear and consistently applied PTO policy especially important.
Employers may consider first-come, first-served approvals, rotating priority for high-demand dates, minimum staffing requirements, or other systems that align with company policy.
Whatever approach your organization chooses, communicate expectations and decisions promptly. Employees should understand when requests are due, how decisions are made, and when schedules will be finalized.
Support Employee Well-Being
A strong holiday coverage plan should allow employees to actually enjoy their approved time away.
Encourage employees to disconnect while on leave whenever possible. Before they leave, establish out-of-office messages, transfer important responsibilities, and identify backup contacts for urgent matters.
Employers should also recognize team members who take on additional responsibilities while coworkers are away. Supporting employees on both sides of holiday coverage can contribute to a more positive workplace experience.
HR Holiday Workforce Planning Checklist
Before the holiday season begins:
✓ Review PTO balances and anticipated requests
✓ Communicate PTO request deadlines
✓ Approve holiday schedules early
✓ Identify potential staffing and coverage gaps
✓ Cross-train employees on essential responsibilities
✓ Secure temporary staffing support if needed
✓ Establish out-of-office messages and backup contacts
✓ Communicate coverage plans with employees and managers
Start Your Holiday Staffing Plan Early
Holiday workforce planning doesn’t have to mean choosing between supporting employees and meeting business needs. Early preparation, clear communication, cross-training, and temporary staffing can help employers accomplish both.
For more than 35 years, L.K. Jordan & Associates has helped businesses connect with qualified talent and develop workforce solutions tailored to their needs. With offices in Austin, Corpus Christi, Houston, and San Antonio, we provide temporary staffing, temp-to-hire placements, direct hire recruiting, payroll services, and other workforce solutions throughout Texas.
If your organization anticipates holiday PTO gaps, increased seasonal demand, or year-end projects, L.K. Jordan can help you build a staffing plan that keeps your business moving while giving your employees the time off they deserve.
Contact L.K. Jordan & Associates today to discuss your holiday and year-end staffing needs.
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