We strongly recommend taking vacation time during this pandemic. Taking time off should be encouraged by companies and managers to promote employee wellness, happiness, and productivity in the workplace. Paid time off is part of your compensation. Disclaimer, Elon Musk's Illusion of Control Undermining Teslas Future, SHRM Partners with William G. McGowan Charitable Fund with Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. and Diana Spencer, The Moment is Now for Emotional Intelligence - #SHRM22, How HR Analytics Can Leverage Performance Appraisal System. Creating a COVID-19 vaccination policy is just the first stepnext you need to communicate the details to your employees. The center, which provides counseling services to women with unplanned pregnancies, depends on volunteers to help carry out its mission. Second, you also get Timetastics Firewire, which is sent out quarterly to you and any department managers you have on your team. 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. You, your team, and your directors. Use imagery around the office. Employees need time to rest and enjoy themselves outside work. HR circular format for employees are very helpful in this situation. Vacation Policy - 11+ Examples, Format, Pdf | Examples Members may download one copy of our sample forms and templates for your personal use within your organization. Weve given you three different templates above for informing someone about the leave theyre about to lose. When the economy is unstable, employers are faced with difficult decisions around staffing, pay and benefits. Email Examples and Templates for Staff and Customer - Workest } The company sent employees reminders to start planning their vacation schedules, with few responses. Sample email. Encouraging Your Employees to Take Vacations - MIBluesPerspectives For small teams, granting PTO requests while maintaining an effective workforce is a big challenge, especially around federal holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as other religious holidays like Hannukah. If you have any questions, please contact [contact]. As a leader or HR professional, navigating how to go about asking employees to use their paid-time-off during these times can be a challenging task. By involving the entire team, you make taking breaks part of the culture along with supporting and being generous with each other. This allows HR to properly plan work schedules and project deadlines around planned employee absences. Vacation Leave Accruals & Carry-Over Reminder | Announcements These Three Words Describe Me in The Best Way. How to Encourage Employees to Take Vacation Time During COVID-19 Change the Way PTO is Discussed in Your Office. Yet, few employees feel comfortable taking the time off they need, especially as travel plans and other vacations are cancelled. There are many positive benefits of taking vacation time. part-a (to be filled up by. Employees may be weary because they dont want to appear unwilling to work for fear of losing their jobs or being furloughed. But these templates really just help you organise your thoughts. 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 . Something went wrong. if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-china.aspx") > -1) { Keep your communication and expectations open and transparent. 5 ways to encourage staff to take annual leave. But ideally, no one will ever be on your Burnout Board. [Give a reason for sending the incorrect mail according to you in your own words, this is just an example given]. Talking to your employees about the coronavirus is no easy feat. An example of this could simply be sending a calendar invitation via email to remind your employees that you will be out of the office. Suddenly, a majority of people within an organization want to take time off. I Am a Self-Taught Marketer with 10 Years of Experience. What is important is that they spend time with them, because they never know how long they have with their loved ones regardless if there is a pandemic. 3. Please try again later. A company's leaders ultimately need to set the tone for the company's vacation policy. By providing a modest assortment of refreshments, snack options, and kitchen appliances, you'll make sure your employees feel like a critical part of the team. Thats why we have an annual leave policyto help you take care of yourself so that youre ready to go when it comes time to come back! 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. Being transparent about leave policies allows individuals to consciously weigh trade-offs and enables everyone to operate from the same set of principles. A vacation leave letter is a written request from employees to their company asking for approval for time off. $('.container-footer').first().hide(); In many companies, employees may even need to find coverage while they're out so their workload isn't interrupted. How to encourage employees to use PTO during coronavirus Also, push your team to unplug for at least a day on the weekend, never checking any work messages. Build specialized knowledge and expand your influence by earning a SHRM Specialty Credential. A subscription purchase is the best way to support the creation of these resources. 'We understand you can't travel. This letter is to inform [mention the name of the person] from [mention the name of the company or the organization to which you are writing this letter] that I the [mention designation of yours] of [mention name of the company and the organization] would like to encourage you to take a vacation from your work for few days. It does not offer legal advice, and cannot guarantee the accuracy or suitability of its content for a particular purpose. Many companies are encouraging employees to take off half days, a day in the middle of the week, or a Monday or Friday to extend the weekend. 11+ Vacation Policy Examples - PDF, Word. Note: For privacy reasons, when someone on your team logs into their Timetastic account, they can only see their own individual leave balance. I am reaching out because the recruitment department needs your help! Encourage your staff to take the full amount of time allotted to enjoy themselves and come back refreshed for work. Virtual & Washington, DC | February 26-28, 2023. When employees know that you value their time off and take it seriously, theyll be more likely to see the importance of taking time off themselves. The fear of being replaced or overlooked for projects or promotions is a potential factor preventing your employees from taking time off. Of this total, $210B was used and $155B was unused. You have always been a diligent, hard-working, and loyal team employee (mention the details). 10 Types of Leaves to Include in Your Leave Policy, How to Manage Remote Employees over Microsoft Teams. Teams are feeling exhausted, work demands are on the rise, and more and more time is devoted to work instead of ourselves. You can reach me at [alternate contact info]. This sample leave restriction letter clearly states the company rules and actions against the failures. When anyone on your team logs into Timetastic, theyll see their Wallchart: Their Wallchart tells them who has approved time off on the calendar, along with their own leave balance, so they can see how much leave they still have left to use. Her complaint wasnt about working in quarantine per se, but about her frantic pace and static productivity. It was hard for all survey respondents to know what to do with an extended vacation of more than a week. use up to four hours of administrative leave time, or your sick time. else if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-mena.aspx") > -1) { This policy is based on mutual trust . They dont solve the root of your problem, which is finding out who on your team hasnt taken leave and giving your team a really easy way to book their holiday. If we take time away from work to recharge and reconnect with loved ones, we can return to work ready to approach our work with energy and purpose. You can use our sample leave of absence forms to encourage employees to take time off work. If you're going to be on vacation for a week or two, then it's essential you set up your vacation email. More employees began requesting vacations in June, but they pulled back again in mid-July July as virus cases roared back, according to Zenefits, a San Francisco-based benefits provider. Please log in as a SHRM member. Wed like to avoid you losing your hard-earned time off. Why you should encourage staff to take annual leave [Include Template 4] Thanks, Your HR Team TEMPLATE 4: Managers Team Involvement (Every 6 months) Hello Team! Improving the quality of your break room gives employees the feeling that they are a valuable asset to the company and their overall happiness is essential. 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. For our reps, we've developed a simple algorithm for encouraging them to take vacation days and PTO. 7 ways to encourage employees to take paid time off Managers need to rise to the occasion by encouraging time off from their employees. Studies show that almost 75% of employees do not take all of their allotted paid time off (PTO.) To help employees feel comfortable taking time off, its important to set up an out-of-office reply that promotes relaxation. If our content helps you to contend with coronavirus and other challenges, please consider, Unused vacations have cost U.S. businesses, women academics are publishing fewer papers. Many HR professionals report that they've struggled with how to address this trend because vacation is such a sensitive topic. You know who hasnt taken enough time off, and you dont have to trawl through spreadsheets to find out, since its delivered directly to you. For instance, you can give your employees the tools to help them unplug from work. 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;}'; June 05, 2020. In our company time off policy, it states that [X AMOUNT] of your annual leave will be carried over into the next year. To keep your mind and body healthy, its important to take some time for yourself every once in a while. Template for external staff letter. We would be very happy to give some of the savings we achieve in reduced electricity costs back to you. For many employees, working from home has led them to pour more time and effort into their jobs without realizing it. Ensure youre clear about your organizations current time-off policy and communicate it to your team. Marketing | Branding | Blogging. She also suggested that employees reduce their workweek by taking a Friday or Monday off each week until the end of the year. With varying demands for inter-generational care and self-care, encourage your employees to take the time they need to balance competing priorities. But if youre always putting in extra time because that project needs to be on timeor because theres too much work left over from last weekthen this will send the message that its okay for them not to take any personal days and just keep going without sleep or relaxation. I will be back at work on [DATE]. "I think with remote work, it was hard to separate work from home life," Smith said. It has taken jobs, businesses and human lives. 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. In fact, 62% of American workers say they eat lunch at their desks. Talk through these fears and encourage them to use vacation time to spend more time with their families or to lay by the pool as a way to relax and unwind. Help staff ease back into work after their leave. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies. Project: Time Off's study found that employees who take all of their vacation time increase their chances of getting promoted and getting a raise by 6.5 percent, compared with people who. Take a stand against this trend of all work and little play. Many HR professionals across the country are struggling with how to convince employees to take vacation. We've all missed you, and the residents have been anxious for your return. Next year, youll have [CARRY OVER AMOUNT + NEW YEAR AMOUNT] in holiday leave. When you run a small business, it's hard to compete with the big guys in winning the war for talent. Returning To Work After Vacation [8 Tips and Email Examples] - BambooHR Encourage Employees to TAKE Vacations | Workology The first step to dismissing any negative perceptions about taking time off is to reassure your employees that their jobs are safe. How to write a MEMO for employee to clear annual leave? - Ask Me Fast Start your free one-month trial today. Note: This is what it looks like when you book a holiday using our mobile app. Part time employees accrue vacation on a pro-rated basis. Implement rollover limits. 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. Frequent breaks are more helpful because amped up levels of stress mean we cant always wait for the long-anticipated, lengthy vacations of the past. You have successfully saved this page as a bookmark. Please log in as a SHRM member before saving bookmarks. Employees need to feel that their organization understands work-life balance and that they are encouraged to take. They influence President Biden signed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act into law on December 29, 2022 BerniePortal is the all-in-one HR software solution at a fair price, so HR can focus on providing a good place to work. Drew Gieseke 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. You also want them to come back feeling refreshed and ready for another round of productivity. Informal vacation request email Subject: Vacation request June 1-15 Hi Jean, I'd like to request vacation time from Monday, June 1st through Tuesday the 15th. Knowing who on your team is at risk of burnout or who has a lot of leave left to use is a huge win. This is an easy way to help your employees unplug, refocus, and enjoy themselves. Follow this simple memo to staff on . So it becomes your responsibility to motivate such employees sometimes to take vacation leaves for a few days, and to help you create the appropriate letter for that, I have written some sample letters which you can refer to. 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. To solve this problem, you can use Timetastic as your staff leave app. The nation's workers also eschew lunch to work longer. Back in early May, executives at The Insurance Market were worried that numerous employees were canceling their summer vacations. Here are six strategies on how managers can approach vacations when so much of the workforce is working from home. 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. Company Memo to Workers: Take a Vacation! - PTO Exchange Various studies show that the current environment is taking a toll on employees' mental health and fueling workers' reticence about taking time off. David Zaitz/Getty Images. 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. The PTO issue finally began to resolve itself in mid-June when employees started returning to the office, said Jill Smith, the agency's operations manager. 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. 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. PDF Sample employee email to encourage them to get vaccinated $(document).ready(function () { "Then you know what they have planned, and you can encourage them to follow up on it and take the time off.". Here's How to Encourage Employees to Take PTO - SHRM