As the holiday season begins, so do all of the time-off requests your Human Resources department will have to go through. Employees request time off in December twice as often as they do in any other month and depending on the size of your organization, that can be a lot of requests. To help alleviate some of the strife, we’ve compiled a quick list highlight some of the best ways to get on HR’s Nice List this December!

1. Check if there are existing policies If you are not already aware of them, chances are Human Resources likely already have some established guidelines for submitting a time-off request. While it might feel safe to assume that you already know them, double-check. This can prevent your request from getting rejected for the wrong reasons, as well it shows Human Resources that you are staying up to date on their policies.
2. Know what time you still have in your bank Human Resources is not going to approve a time-off request if you do not have the hours available to take off. Rather than wasting their time (and your own), take a look at your available vacation days and make sure that you have the time you want off available to use.
3. Ask sooner rather than later If you work in an industry where coverage must be maintained, getting your request in early can make all the difference. The sooner you get your time-off request in, the more time your employer has to find the coverage they need. Additionally, chances are other employees in your organization are going to be asking for similar time-off as you, and it does not hurt having your request in before theirs!
4. Prepare to compromise Like we mentioned above, it is unlikely that you’re the only person at your organization hoping to get time off this December. If your family celebrates on Christmas Eve, you might volunteer to work Christmas day and take Christmas Eve off instead.
5. Plan ahead When making a time-off request in an industry where coverage is not a given, be sure to communicate how your tasks will be taken care of before you leave, and start setting your deadlines for the holiday season. Do you need to have a project completed during the time-off you requested? Have a plan set for how you will get it done beforehand and communicate that plan to your supervisor!

Of course, this is not a comprehensive list. Some of these tips might not apply to your specific organization, and that's alright. At the end of the day when submitting a time-off request this holiday season, we hope you remember that you are dealing with humans, so be empathetic, be kind, and try not to save your time-off request for the day before you want off.

WorkSight Workforce Management System can help simplify the time-off process. Our leave management module provides your employees with a detailed account of their current time-off bank, simplifies the time-off request process, and helps reduce the costs related to absenteeism. Contact us now to learn more information.