Steps to manage vacations from the HR department

4 of February, 2025

One of the significant challenges for the human resources department is the management of staff vacations. As usual, most employees will want to enjoy them in July or August. However, this is not always possible. Thus, we will have to manage vacations from HR.

Why it’s important to manage vacations from HR

It might seem like a secondary issue, but nothing could be further from the truth. As we have mentioned, most vacation requests are clustered on specific dates.

Summer, Christmas, Easter… Even the possibility of a long weekend can attract requests for days off or personal matters.

If we approve all requests, we risk leaving a department or team without employees. Logically, this will negatively affect the company’s results.

For this reason, it is essential to manage vacations from HR. Only in this way do we ensure that the company can function.

It is also important to emphasize that good vacation management will help us to satisfy employees. We should try to please everyone, even if we have to justify why it’s not possible in some cases.

How to manage vacations from HR step by step

Now that we know why we should plan vacations from HR, let’s see how to do it. As in any aspect related to our company’s human resources, planning is a fundamental aspect.

Design a corporate vacation policy

Companies with a vacation policy tend to perform better. For this reason, human resources should draw up the vacation policy and share it with employees.

This will allow us to clarify doubts and avoid misunderstandings. Working based on clear rules, the job will be easier.

The vacation policy must be as clear as possible, with no ambiguities. It should take all possible situations into account.

Can we split vacations? How will personal days be managed? Can vacation be changed once granted? How are they requested?

By this, workers will know when and how to apply for vacations. And the HR team will have guidelines to manage them.

When writing the vacation policy, we will consider the Workers’ Statute and the sectorial agreement, as well as the company’s own activity.

Priority in vacations

There is a key question in vacation management: Who chooses first? Depending on the answer, it will be easier X or Y.

Logically, our vacation policy will help us establish the order. There are three methods for this:

• Rotation of employees. At first glance, this is the fairest system as each time a different employee has priority. Thus, the employee who chooses first today will be last next time.
• Seniority. This criterion serves to reward employee loyalty. There are quite a few companies that manage vacations according to the employee’s seniority. The highest risk is to cause discontent among the newcomers who can never enjoy them when they are interested.
• Employees with children. This option stands in the middle. The goal is to favor family reconciliation, making the employees’ vacations coincide with school vacations.

Distribute vacations in advance

After defining the vacation policy and the method of distribution, it’s time to start planning. Doing it in advance means avoiding problems. It’s advised to plan at least two months in advance. And always be aware that changes and unforeseen events can occur.

The fact of getting ahead offers our staff a certain margin to plan their vacations. But it also allows the human resources team to anticipate needs during the vacation season. Maybe we have to redistribute the workforce, relocate employees. And this cannot be improvised.

Good planning will also allow us to understand the human needs during the vacation period. Will we have to hire someone to cover for absences? If the answer is affirmative, we will have to activate the selection process with enough margin not to fail.

Having a vacation calendar will help us manage them better. At all times, you will know how the distribution of vacations among your workers is.

Also, each department’s supervisors will know their employees’ vacations to better manage the workload.

Software for managing vacations from HR

All these steps to manage vacations from HR are related to the use of software for vacation control.

This software can manage workers’ vacations, days off, or absences. Even employees can do it.

A vacation software allows us to channel vacation requests in the same way. Workers request them, and it’s recorded, and human resources approve the request or reject it.

There are many cases of workers who informally request vacations. And in the end, that request has been left in the air.

In addition, in the employee portal, workers can see how many vacation days they have left.

Having such support also allows us to automate vacation management. For example, the vacation calendar will be generated automatically.

As requests are approved, it is updated. Thus, we have real-time information and save time.

This way, we can control vacations from HR and improve the work environment. We must realize that we can’t always please everyone.

That’s why it’s crucial to have a clear vacation policy and get the most out of our software for managing vacations.

For more information on how to manage vacations from HR, check out the content and guides of Sesame HR.

Ricardo López

HR Payroll Specialist | LinkedIn | | Web | +post

Ricardo López has built a solid career in the field of human resources, excelling in payroll administration, labor relations management, and employment advisory services. His academic background in labor law and human resources, combined with his experience in companies such as Zeus - Smart Visual Data, Sesame HR, and Grupo Noa's, has allowed him to develop a comprehensive understanding of workforce dynamics and personnel management. With over 10 years of experience, he has demonstrated strong expertise in benefits administration, HR documentation, and career counseling. Ricardo continues to contribute to the efficient and people-centered development of the organizations he works with.

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