The sun is shining and the race to book leave is well under way. But who should get priority? Alastair Brown offers an overview.

While it’s important that parents are allowed time off to spend with their children, it could arguably be damaging for general staff morale if leave priority is automatically granted to them.

As we approach the school six-week holidays, employers will likely receive increased requests for annual leave. The placement of these holidays in the middle of summer, usually at the end of July and throughout August (earlier for schools in Scotland), can result in a significant number of workers, with or without children, requesting leave at the same time.

The Working Time Regulations 1998 instructs that all employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid leave annually, but managers are under no obligation to accept all leave requests. It's down to the discretion of the employer when their workforce takes annual leave, so you are well within your rights to refuse a parent’s (or non-parent’s) request for leave over the summer, and under no expectation to prioritise one over the other.

However, when reaching a decision, it's important to remember the impact your actions may have on your staff. By denying parents the chance to spend more time with their children while they are away from school for a prolonged period (not to mention childcare arrangements), you strongly risk them becoming demoralised within their role and this having a detrimental effect to their output.

Another issue that can arise is the issue of fairness. Other employees may feel system is unfair if they are denied requests in favour of their colleagues, regardless of the reason. It's important to remember that all employees place great significance on their leave entitlement and refusal can often be met with annoyance.

In these situations, business owners should ensure that no employee is receiving preferential treatment. A strong first-come, first-served rule should be implemented, ensuring an open and fair policy that allows all employees the chance to request leave for the same period. With this in mind, employees with young families could be strongly encouraged to make their requests as early as possible, or risk disappointment.

Organisations could also consider allowing parents of young children flexible hours during the summer to assist them in childcare arrangements, and potentially dissuade an additional requirement for time off. It should be noted that, in situations where parents need time away to deal with unexpected child caring issues, they may be entitled to a one to two day ‘time off for dependants’ period that would usually be unpaid.

When taking requests for annual leave, managers should always be open and honest with their workforce. Try to approve requested leave wherever possible, while avoiding prioritising requests from any individual employee. 

About the author

Alastair Brown is chief technical officer at people management software company BrightHR.