The vacation season is fast approaching, but it's probably a lot less exciting than in years past. Travel restrictions are still very present and many employees may be tempted to change their vacation habits.
One poll conducted by Robert Half reveals just that:
- 27% of workers plan to keep their vacation for later this year
- 30% of workers plan to take fewer vacations this summer.
On the other side, a survey conducted by The Conference Board of Canada sets out the position of employers on the subject:
- 33% encourage their employees to take all or part of their vacation this summer
- 21% require their employee to take part of their vacation this summer
Vacation management, considerations:
Legal Considerations: What does the law say?
An employee cannot demand to be paid for his vacation rather than taking it on time. “The employer has the privilege of setting the vacation date. However:
- He must inform the employee of the date of his vacation at least 4 weeks in advance
- It cannot replace vacation with compensatory compensation, except in the following cases:
- when a collective agreement or a decree contains a specific provision for this purpose.
- when the establishment closes 2 weeks during the vacation and an employee entitled to 3 weeks asks to have the last one replaced by an allowance”
See all the details about the Labour Standards Act.
In the absence of a clearly established vacation policy within the company, the law or even case-by-case analysis applies to vacation management.
As the law leaves little room for flexibility and management on a case-by-case basis is certainly not optimal, it is advisable to have a vacation policy that will be included in the employment contract.
Employee health and well-being
Vacations ensure the health and well-being of employees. It is therefore important to include a mandatory vacation policy in the employment contract to ensure the health of your employees and facilitate vacation management.
The survey conducted by The Conference Board of Canada It is pointed out that 86% of employers encourage or require taking vacations for the personal and mental health of their employees.
Among the workers interviewed by Robert Half, 29% are planning to take a vacation just for their personal and mental health.
Even if your employees were laid off for a few weeks this spring, the importance of vacation this summer should not be underestimated. The layoff period during lockdown may have generated stress, anxiety and exhaustion for some employees.
Vacations are a time that will allow them to recharge their batteries and recharge their batteries before returning to work.
Organizational and economic considerations
If your sector of activity is operating slowly, it would be advisable to maintain vacations during the summer period in order to have access to all your employees in the fall so that you can possibly resume your activities at a more normal pace. In addition, by paying for vacations during the summer and while your industry is still in slow motion, you avoid having to make layoffs to reduce your workforce.
On the other hand, accrued vacations are a balance due to employees, you will be forced to pay them or give the vacation before the end of your year. You might as well give them when activities are slow in order to avoid an additional burden on your already very difficult year.
The key is to communicate your vacation plan to your employees as early as possible.
Personal Considerations
Because of travel restrictions, some employees may ask you to postpone their vacation until later in the year to allow them to travel when the situation is restored.
If your context allows you this flexibility, your employees will certainly appreciate it. However, make sure you can offer it to anyone who asks for it to avoid perceptions of injustice in your vacation management.
If your context does not allow this, you will need to explain the importance of thinking about the business rather than individual cases. Demonstrate your understanding that it can be disappointing to be forced to take a summer vacation, but that the goal is to ensure that jobs last. The employee must be made aware that this is a global context and that the company must fulfill its obligations in relation to vacation payments.
If this is a change from your usual vacation policy, also communicate the reasons, rules and framework to ensure acceptance and understanding of this special measure in response to an exceptional situation. Also, make sure you don't make exceptions to avoid perceptions of injustice.
Value the vacation period
In conclusion, be sure to value the vacation period and put in place measures so that the employee does not end up with an overload of work when he returns (delegate certain tasks or files).
