Shropshire businesses are being encouraged to review their holiday and sickness absence procedures as employers head into one of the busiest periods of the year for staff leave.

With many employees taking annual leave over the summer months, businesses can often face additional challenges managing workloads, maintaining service levels and dealing with unexpected sickness absence.

Employment law and HR specialist, Alasdair Hobbs, of Human Results in Telford, said planning ahead was essential to avoid disruption and ensure employees were treated fairly.

He said: “The summer period can be particularly challenging for employers because they are often trying to accommodate multiple holiday requests whilst also managing higher levels of short-term sickness absence.

“Most businesses want to be flexible and support their staff, but it is important that holiday and absence policies are clear and applied consistently.

“One of the most common approaches is to deal with holiday requests on a first come, first served basis. While that may appear fair on the surface, it can sometimes create difficulties where the most organised employees secure the dates they want well in advance, leaving colleagues with school-age children struggling to take time off during school holidays.

“There isn't a perfect solution, but employers should think carefully about what is fair and workable for their business and communicate that approach clearly to all staff.”

Mr Hobbs said employers should ensure staff were aware of how holiday requests would be assessed and the procedures that should be followed when reporting sickness absence.

He added that some sectors face particular challenges during the summer months.

“For many businesses, summer is associated with staff taking holidays, but for others it is their busiest trading period of the year,” he said.

“Hospitality businesses, food producers and food processors, for example, often experience increased demand during the summer and may have policies restricting annual leave during certain periods.

“Some employers will specify that no holiday can be taken between July and September unless there are exceptional circumstances.

“Whatever approach is taken, it is important that employees understand the rules from the outset and that managers apply them consistently.”

Mr Hobbs added that businesses should also use the summer months as an opportunity to review absence trends and identify whether additional support may be needed for employees experiencing health or wellbeing issues.

“As with most HR issues, managing absence is about striking the right balance,” he said.

“Employers need to support staff who are genuinely unwell while also ensuring the business can continue to operate effectively and fairly for everyone.”

Human Results provides employment law and HR advice to businesses across Shropshire and beyond from its offices in Telford.

For more information, visit www.humanresults.co.uk.