Maintaining an up-to-date, written record of time your employees take off can help prevent disputes over PTO balances down the road. Here’s a recipe for creating and implementing a policy for managing time off—and recording it. Bon appétit!

Before we get cooking, here are a few helpful hints:

• Create a time-off request form for employees to fill out when they want to request time off. This form should include the employee’s name, date they are submitting the request, days they want to take off, a space for their manager’s signature, and a space for you to approve/deny the request.
• Create a time-off request form (or download ours here). Employees can fill it out so you have written proof of time taken/approved. This form should include the employee’s name, date they are submitting the request, days they want to take off, a space for their manager’s signature, and a space for you to approve/deny the request.
• If you have a payroll processor, have them send you email confirmations of received requests and your approvals so you are on the same page throughout the process.
• Set up a policy saying employees need to give you as much notice as possible through an email or a form (like the vacation request form). You’ll put a copy of the email/form in the employee’s HR file and send one to payroll. *Remember with sick time you probably will not get much, if any advance notice. Have your employees fill out a form when they get back and put it in their HR file. Then send a copy to payroll.

If you’re ready to cook up your own perfect process for managing vacation requests, let’s get cooking!

Easy Process for Managing Employee Vacation Requests

Essential ingredients

• Employees
• Up-to-date list of how much time off employees have earned
• Time off form
• Calendar

Optional ingredients

• Black-out list of dates employees can’t request time off for
• Colorful pens to write on your calendar
• A pastry to reward yourself for a job well done

Directions

1. Write a policy for requesting time off that includes how much advance notification is required and how employees can request vacation time (fill out a form and give it to their manager).
2. When a PTO request comes in, have their manager look at the calendar and make sure their vacation won’t interrupt the workflow or coincide with anyone else’s vacation times.
3. Contact your payroll processor to see if the employee has enough PTO to cover the vacation.
4. Approve/deny the request and sign the form. Make two copies.
5. Put the original in the employee’s HR file. Send a copy to the employee and to your payroll processor.
6. Add the employee’s vacation into your calendar so you know not to expect them at work those days.

At Pretty Books, we are always whipping up new and helpful ways to keep your business moving. While there are tons of ways to prepare these processes, we believe that this one is the best. Enjoy!