What Happens To Time Off When Our Offices Finally Open Up

The pandemic will be over at some point. People will emerge from their caves, rubbing their eyes in the sunlight of their restored freedom. During their confinement, those of us who had been working from home may well have built up a sizeable cache of accrued leave.  After all, few are taking vacations right now.

When our offices finally open up, will everyone be demanding to take their spring break, their summer vacation and their extended Thanksgiving family visit—all crammed into the last quarter of the year? Will it be like France where everyone takes off the month of August?  It would be ironic if we mark our triumphant return to the workplace with mass absences. Productivity would actually fall compared to where it was at the height of the pandemic. This problem probably is not top-of-mind for businesses now. If a business is confronting this, it means that the crisis is over. If annual leave has once again become a big deal, that’s a good thing.

Still, it is as manageable as it is foreseeable. First, lose right now the use-or-lose rule, if you have one for this calendar year.  Push it back to say the end of the second quarter of 2021.  You might also give people extra days to show your appreciation for the gracious way they’ve accepted your scheduling of their leave.  Because you will have to schedule it.  If you allow a crowd to rush a narrow door, at the very least, someone’s toes will get stepped on. The best way to manage the scheduling is with a tool that can help you ensure operational continuity during a period of high-volume absence. Spreading the prior year leave bulge into 2021 is necessary, but of course new leave will be accruing. You don’t want to turn the leave problem into a perennial headache.

If your leave system isn’t up to challenge, we are here to help.

DATABASICS provides cloud-based, next-generation Expense Reporting, P-Card Management, Timesheet, Leave Management, and Invoice Processing automation. Specializing in meeting the most rigorous requirements, DATABASICS offers the highest level of service to its customers around the world.

DATABASICS is relied upon by leading organizations representing all the major sectors of the global economy: financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, research, retail, engineering, nonprofits/NGOs, technology, federal contractors, and other sectors.

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