It outlines the employee's intended days off and their plan for coverage at work. When working from home, encourage your employees to consider vacations as tools for focused family time, caregiving, and self-care. Employees receive their allotted PTO at the beginning of the calendar year. Let them know that vacation can improve their relationships at work, as well as their productivity and morale. Encouraging to take time off is one of the most important things that you can do for your employees. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concernsI look forward to hearing from you soon!. Employees should clearly understand your organization's vacation policy. If it has been awhile since you took a vacation, start planning your time off. Subject: Request for one week vacation leave. 1. "As employers, we have to be cognizant of the mental health impact that the pandemic is having," Pemberton said. "[Time off] is the most emotional benefit we have. Take a moment to think about what makes your employees happyit could be anything from playing with their dog or cat, reading a book, watching their favorite movie, or listening to music. You can use our sample leave of absence forms to encourage employees to take time off work. Its very important that our employees stay balanced in their life. Here are five reasons to encourage your employees to take a vacation. Published Tuesday, Jul 7, 2020 Contact Us Human Resources Address: 120 Whittier Hall Box: 149 * Phone: 212-678-3175 * Email: hr@tc.columbia.edu Disability-related Accommodations To request disability-related accommodations contact OASID at oasid@tc.edu, (212) 678-3689, (646) 755-3144 video phone, as early as possible. This is the same information in the Burnout Board, but its sent directly to you, so you dont risk overlooking it. someone who can approve or decline leave requests) logs into Timetastic, they can see the remaining leave allowances for everyone on the team. Creating a COVID-19 vaccination policy is just the first stepnext you need to communicate the details to your employees. Because paid time off is offered optionally and at employers discretion, employers have the ability to block off periods of time when requests wont be approved (or will be approved in limited quantities or under special circumstances). They considered creating a vacation bank that would accept donations of employees' unused PTO that could be tapped by colleagues facing extraordinary circumstances, but that was found to be too complicated to administer. This will help ensure that your employees use their paid time off and dont miss out on valuable benefits. You can do this by offering the following: When you work for a company, you probably know that taking time off is good for your health and well-being. According to global staffing firm Robert Half, 28 percent of U.S. office workers anticipated taking fewer days off in the summer months compared to last year because of concerns about COVID-19. Using this circular for declaring holiday format, you can write leave circular for your own company. If there is a negative narrative presented from either HR or management, employees will be fearful of requesting any time off. But a template doesnt do anything to solve the root of your annual leave problem. Employees who take time off come to work with a positive mindset and charged to take on challenges. Step 3 - Create your direction to take annual leave due to an excessive leave balance letter . temp_style.textContent = '.ms-rtestate-field > p:first-child.is-empty.d-none, .ms-rtestate-field > .fltter .is-empty.d-none, .ZWSC-cleaned.is-empty.d-none {display:block !important;}'; Its also important to provide employees with references to any government or health official guidance, so they can also take that into account. How does employee seniority impact PTO benefits? You may be doing a great job as a manager, but are you showing your employees how to be good managers? What Can Employers Do to Require or Encourage Workers to Get a - KFF Likewise, as mentioned above, employers might want to completely rework their PTO benefits for the new year. 5 ways to encourage staff to take annual leave. By taking time off regularly, you can show everyone else in the company how important it is to take time off so they dont feel guilty about doing so themselves. So, by looking into your efforts and integrity to accomplish your goal in the company, we have decided to offer you a special leave for (mention the period) days, and we will be very happy if you accept it. If You're in HR, Send this Email About Coronavirus to Staff - Workest Downloadable (with restrictions)! The SHRM Blog does not accept solicitation for guest posts. Ease the numbness induced with back-to-back video calls and a long to-do list by reinventing vacations and time off, and encouraging your team to do the same. In this case, make a simple process for reaching out and interacting with coworkers to find coverage for time off. I will be traveling to visit my parents/taking family vacation time. Studies show that almost 75% of employees do not take all of their allotted paid time off (PTO.) Here are five ways to encourage your employees to take a holiday leave: 1. And finally, activate your team by creating a plan where work is still accomplished, even as people are offline. Why it's in your interest for staff to take leave. Gain the intel you need now to successfully anticipate and navigate employment laws, stay compliant and mitigate legal risks. How does your company handle end-of-year time off requests? Though annual leave is part of the compulsory benefits of a regular employee, it is always a good gesture when you planned it ahead of time and inform you immediate superior about it.These are the things that you need to consider before writing the letter: 1. Encourage Employees to Take Vacation with a Mindful Vacation Policy An effective employee vacation policy isn't just about the accrual of leave balances and the scheduling of vacations. Here are some ways you can encourage employees to step away from their devices: Sometimes employees hesitate to take time off because they feel they will be distracted from getting all work-related emails and then having to reply to them instantly. You should also include any rules on how many people from a team/the organisation can be away simultaneously. We send two emails per month max. You, your team, and your directors. 3) who you are leaving in charge of any project should an emergency or immediate question arise. That's why it is so important to lead by example. For example, if you are going on vacation next week but want to respond to emails while youre gone, consider using an auto-reply that says something like: I am currently out of the office on vacation until July 1st. Also, push your team to unplug for at least a day on the weekend, never checking any work messages. Welcome Back to Work Letter and Email Examples - The Balance Careers Putting a cap on this important time doesn't help our effort to achieve high levels of employee satisfaction and productivity. Change the Way PTO is Discussed in Your Office. In this section, we show how Timetastic, our staff leave app, helps your team take their holidays throughout the year. Suggest shorter breaks more often, rather than weeklong vacations. For instance, you can declare a day off for the entire organization: One of my clients, analytics company, Sisense, has scheduled a monthly company-sponsored, company-wide self-care day, where nobody works. So why not encourage your employees to try scheduling an extra day off on a Friday or Monday once in a while? It's hard to strike the right balance between informing staff of the facts and sharing the protective measures your business is taking without sowing fear or anxiety . } To encourage more employees to take time off before Dec. 31, HR professionals are urging managers to think creatively about how to use vacation time. Even though staff taking holiday can be disruptive in the short term, encouraging staff to book annual leave actually holds many benefits to employers in the long run: Cut stress & burnout, and improve productivity. For more info on handling staff leave, check out our articles on: Our customers tell us what makes them tick. How to Write a Leave Request Email (With Example) if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-china.aspx") > -1) { Managers might also consider reducing the number of meetings around the holidays, or making Mondays and Fridays meeting-free days from Thanksgiving until the end of the year to encourage employees to extend their weekends. Down time is likely to be devoted to supporting good mental health rather than recreation or travel. Dear Dean, Welcome back! We need to refuel early and often. Review this collection of common PTO questions and answers or watch the embedded HR Party of One video below to prepare accordingly. Brett Farmiloe is the Founder and CEO and currently CHRO - of Terkel.io, a platform where business leaders can answer questions related to their expertise and get published in articles featuring theirinsights. Not to mention that according to SHRM, when employees take PTO, they're often more productive and exhibit lower stress and better mental health. Vacation Policy - 11+ Examples, Format, Pdf | Examples Employees accrue 15 days of vacation for the first year of employment and 20 days of vacation each year after the first year. Use the following template to remind employees to check their PTO status before the end of the year: As we approach the end of the year, now is the time to check your PTO status to determine if you need to take any time off before your benefit resets. As Limeades CEO Henry Albrecht stated in my survey, Share the rules, show care, model the behaviors, and trust people to do the right thing.. By involving the entire team, you make taking breaks part of the culture along with supporting and being generous with each other. But companies should encourage their employees to take and enjoy time off in order to promote employee wellness, happiness, and productivity in the workplace. The fear of being replaced or overlooked for projects or promotions is a potential factor preventing your employees from taking time off. A subscription purchase is the best way to support the creation of these resources. Build specialized knowledge and expand your influence by earning a SHRM Specialty Credential. Lisa Rabasca Roepe is a freelance writer based in Arlington, Va. You have successfully saved this page as a bookmark. Fewer employees want to take vacations given that the pandemic has severely curtailed travel options. But how can they do that if they dont know how to disconnect from work? Wed like to avoid you losing your hard-earned time off. (Campaign Monitor,2019) Add an eye-catching subject line and body. Some employees have taken limited or even no time off this year because they feel as though they are restricted with travel options," said Tracy Winn, SHRM-SCP, a senior HR advisor at G&A Partners, a payroll and HR firm in Houston. ref: ltc sanction order no dt (copy to be enclosed) note: this bill should be prepared in duplicate-one for payment and the other as office copy. Unsubscribe anytime. Be open and transparent. This can help managers optimize workload delegation. Restored leave still remaining to the employee's credit at the end of this period will be forfeited without the right to further restoration. Talking to your employees about the coronavirus is no easy feat. HR and managers may find that employees have questions about their time-off benefits throughout the year, including if they can use PTO during their two weeks notice and if employers have the right to turn down time-off requests. If employees are constantly connected to their colleagues and the office, theyre more likely to feel like they need to be at their desks answering emails and taking calls. Template: Employee Vacation and PTO Policy Change | BerniePortal To recap, here's how to ask for time off: Tip#1: Send a vacation request email weeks in advance. If you're like most Americans, it's likely been a while, as 55% of workers don't use all their paid time off. "When managers are intentional about making time for themselves during the dayblocking time to eat lunch, regularly scheduled personal development, being strict with their work and nonwork hourstheir teams have followed suit," Winn said. Explain the need for leave. "This helps reassure the employee that they can truly take time off to relax with family without feeling guilty or stressing out about checking e-mail and phone messages.". } "In the middle of a global pandemic? These days will be scheduled so they dont interfere with any other company-wide events, such as annual meetings and retreats, and will allow everyone in your organization a chance to relax, recharge and reconnect with family or friends. 4 Simple Ways to Encourage Employees to Take Vacation - Montridge Taking a break from work can be a great way to recharge and re-energize, but it can also do a lot for your mental and physical health. Use this communication template to remind employees to check their PTO status before the year endsand their time off potentially expires. How to encourage employees to take annual leave - Breathe HR This works out to a monthly accrual of 1.25 vacation days during the first year and 1.6667 vacation days per month after the first year. This is an easy way to help your employees unplug, refocus, and enjoy themselves. In our company time off policy, it states that [X AMOUNT] of your annual leave will be carried over into the next year. Be an example by taking and enjoying time off yourself. When people arent taking their leave, it can be for several reasons, including: Thankfully, there is a better way using a staff leave app that makes it easy for you to see who needs a holiday and makes it easier for them to book it. If you miss the odd day, the world won't implode, but if people don't know you're away for a few weeks and they don't know exactly when you'll be back, or who they can contact in your place, you're going to have some unhappy clients or customers. HR circular format for employees are very helpful in this situation. This includes ensuring everyone takes their allotted time off and fostering a culture that doesn't make people feel hesitant to take their vacation days. The point is, you now have the information on hand. We encourage team members to take a minimum of 3 weeks (15 work days) of vacation time throughout the year, in addition to the holidays (bank, religious or otherwise) you choose to observe. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Below is a vacation request email sample for medical reasons: Subject: Medical leave application Dear (Manager's name), I'm writing this letter to request vacation leave from Tuesday (December 15th) through Thursday (December 24th). Meanwhile, vacation requests fell roughly 50 percent during the initial months of the pandemic. 1) all the projects you recently finished or are currently working on.