Published: 28th November 2024
Area: Corporate & Commercial
Employees are usually more eager to spend time with loved ones over the holiday season and often travel to make the most of the festive break. For employers, this can present unique challenges with managing schedules, maintaining productivity and accommodating time-off requests. Balancing these needs effectively not only helps the business run smoothly but it also enhances employee morale by demonstrating respect for their work-life balance.
Employment Law Christmas Round Up
During the festive season at work spirits are heightened, Christmas jumpers are out in full force and tubs of celebrations and quality street litter the counterspace. While it is a joyous and fun occasion for those who celebrate, there are still a number of things employers should be wary of to ensure a smooth sailing festive season.
We take a look at the essential employment law considerations for holiday travel and share practical tips on creating flexible, fair policies that meet both operational needs and employees’ desires for holiday time off.
Flexible/remote working options
During the holiday season, allowing remote working can be a valuable tool to accommodate employees who may need or want to travel without using their whole leave entitlement.
By offering remote or flexible working options (where applicable), employees will be able to travel domestically to work from their holiday location when feasible. This flexibility enables employees to be with family, while still contributing to business needs. While this is an option, it is a perk and employers should therefore set clear expectations within remote work policies to ensure they are well-defined, with guidelines on communication, productivity, and hours. This ensures that employees can enjoy their travel plans without compromising work quality or deadlines.
If employees are working remotely from different locations, ensure they have secure access to company systems, especially if they will be accessing sensitive information. Virtual private networks (VPNs) and multi-factor authentication can help maintain security. Read more about remote working security here.
Support employees facing unpredictable travel issues
The holiday season is often plagued by unpredictable travel issues such as flight delays, weather disruptions, and heightened travel demand. When unforeseen events leave an employee stranded, it can create challenges for both parties. Employers must balance the need to maintain operations with fairness and respect for employee rights. If delays are beyond the employee’s control and they’ve communicated promptly, taking disciplinary action may be seen as excessive and unreasonable.
Employees are, however, expected to plan for foreseeable disruptions, such as strikes or other pre-announced delays. Employers should not be left short-staffed in such cases, as these situations can often be avoided with adequate preparation. Stranded employees should strive to minimise disruption to their work obligations wherever possible.
In cases of unavoidable delays, employers should explore practical alternatives to disciplinary measures. Remote working, using annual leave, making up lost time, or agreeing on unpaid leave are all viable options. Taking a flexible and empathetic approach helps maintain a positive working environment while ensuring employment contracts are respected.
Balancing business needs
Ultimately, the goal is to maintain productivity while supporting employees’ desire to spend time with family or friends over the holidays. When employers take a flexible, empathetic approach, employees often feel more satisfied and engaged, contributing to a positive workplace culture.
The holiday season should be a time of joy, not stress. By adopting flexible policies around holiday travel, employers show that they value and support their employees’ work-life balance. Encouraging early planning, offering remote work or flexible schedules, and remaining open to adjustments helps employees enjoy the season while keeping operations running smoothly.
With a balanced approach that combines flexibility, clear communication, and empathy, employers can create a holiday policy that strengthens team morale, reduces stress, and ultimately supports a thriving, inclusive workplace.
While the holiday season brings festive cheer and a chance to celebrate, it also comes with a unique set of challenges for employers. By addressing key issues such as managing seasonal workers’ rights, holiday pay entitlements, flexible working arrangements, and employee wellbeing, employers can navigate the festive period with ease and compliance. Offering support through clear communication, fair policies, and inclusivity ensures a positive and productive holiday season for both employees and employers alike. By remaining proactive and understanding, businesses can create a workplace culture that is festive, fair, and respectful of the diverse needs of their workforce. For a large majority of businesses, particularly those in retail, the holiday season may mean acquiring additional support through seasonal workers. We explore the rights seasonal workers have and address other key questions on the topic. Flexible working, especially during Christmas, can help balance business demands with personal challenges. We explore strategies for managing flexible working requests and policies. Flexible working, especially during Christmas, can help balance business demands with personal challenges. We explore strategies for managing flexible working requests and policies. At this time of year, Christmas bonuses are a key topic of conversation within employment. We explore the types of bonuses and tax implications for your business to consider. Managing employee absences, particularly over the holidays, can make things difficult. We discuss what can be done regarding non-genuine absences and how to balance this with business needs. To avoid grievances over holiday rotas, employers should set clear expectations with staff surrounding holiday cover, time off around the holidays and any additional over-time needed to support the business. However, if a grievance does arise, we set out the steps to consider to ensure it is handled with care. Supporting employee wellbeing during the holiday season is crucial, as this time can bring increased stress, especially for working parents juggling childcare and work responsibilities. We highlight the ways employers can effectively support their employees to foster a positive and productive workplace culture. We explore ways to maintain an inclusive culture at Christmas, focusing on respecting diverse religious beliefs and promoting a supportive and cohesive workplace environment. While the buzz around Christmas heightens, there is no denying that the winter months can make getting to work difficult for those who need to travel. We share the key considerations for employers during this time. Over the holiday season, many businesses see an increase in remote work. With employees logging in from various locations and devices, we share the key steps to protect your business’s security during this season. Over the holiday season employees are increasingly eager to spend time with loved ones and often travel to make the most of the festive break. We share how employers can balance this with the business needs effectively to help the business run smoothly and enhance employee morale. The Christmas period can be an excellent time for workplaces to relax and employees to have fun. However, with social events like office parties, the blurring of personal and professional can present some unique HR problems. We provide guidance to help ensure your office to get together runs smoothy.
This Christmas we are covering a multitude of topics to help you navigate the holidays with ease.
Day 1
Seasonal workers rights
Day 2
Flexible working rights
Day 3
Christmas holiday pay
Day 4
Christmas bonuses and employer gift giving
Day 5
Managing employee absence over the holidays
Day 6
Handling grievances over holiday rotas
Day 7
Supporting wellbeing during the holidays
Day 8
Creating an inclusive workplace culture during the holiday season
Day 9
Can you take the day off when it’s too cold?
Day 10
Remote working security to protect your business over the holidays
Day 11
Travelling over the holiday season
Day 12
Office Christmas party guidance
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