Establish a Christmas Time-Off Policy That Works

December is a busy month for many businesses. Customers want things done before the end of the year, suppliers have limited availability, and at the same time half your team would love some days off for Christmas. Without a clear time-off policy, you’ll end up juggling last-minute requests, disappointing people and worrying about being short-staffed.

Annual leave is not just a nice extra. It is legal requirement in many countries and an important part of employee wellbeing. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the world’s oldest and one of the largest associations in the HR field, describes annual leave as both a contractual right and a key factor in protecting health and motivation. A fair policy keeps you compliant, supports wellbeing and makes December more manageable for everyone.

Why Christmas leave feels harder every year

The holiday season often brings more work and less capacity at the same time. HR professionals note that year-end demand, last-minute customer requests and staff absences can combine to create serious pressure and risk of burnout.

For small and medium-sized businesses this pressure is very real. If one or two people are off, you feel it immediately. When there is no agreed process for Christmas leave, decisions can feel ad-hoc and unfair. People remember who got Christmas off last year. They also notice when they hear ‘no’ only once the planning is done, which makes the whole process feel predetermined rather than fair.

A good December policy answers three questions upfront:

1. How many people can be off at the same time.

2. How requests are prioritised.

3. When everyone needs to decide and plan.

Step 1: Set clear Christmas rules in plain language

Start by deciding your non-negotiables. For example, you may need a minimum number of people in specific roles between Christmas and New Year, or you may close for a set period.

Be transparent about how you choose between competing requests. Common options are first come first served, rotation so the same person is not always working Christmas, or priority for people who worked key days last year. Pick a method and stick to it. Predictability feels fair, even when people do not get their first choice every time.

Step 2: Bring planning forward

Most December stress comes from late decisions. Set an internal deadline for Christmas requests, for example the end of October, and communicate it early. Ask managers to talk about it with their teams so people start thinking about their plans.

The earlier you have a picture of who wants which days, the easier it is to balance business needs with personal plans. It also gives you time to arrange cover, adjust opening hours or spread work more evenly across the month.

Step 3: Make the process visible to everyone

A policy only works if people can see it in action. Put your Christmas rules somewhere easy to find and remind people each year. Make sure employees can see which days they have booked and which are still pending, so they are not chasing HR for updates.

When you confirm or decline requests, explain briefly why. For example, “we already have the maximum number of people off on this day”, or “employees who worked Christmas Eve last year get priority this year”. This kind of simple explanation goes a long way in keeping trust high.

In general terms, the idea behind creating a better Christmas Holiday policy is simple. Agree on clear Christmas rules, ask people early and let everyone see how decisions are made. You reduce stress, stay on the right side of the rules and make the festive season feel fairer for the whole team.

Find Out More

TimeMoto Cloud helps you put this into practice by bringing holiday requests, approvals and schedules into one clear online system. Employees request their Christmas leave themselves, managers see clashes and capacity at a glance, and HR keeps a complete record for compliance and future planning. Try TimeMoto Cloud for free at www.timemoto.com/free-trial.