As the summer heat sets in, employees around the world yearn for a well-deserved break to rejuvenate and spend quality time with their loved ones.

In the Middle East, however, where temperatures soar to extreme levels, the need for summer leave and vacation planning becomes even more crucial.

Effective HR policies and strategies for organizations in the Middle East are fundamental to ensure smooth operations during the summer months while prioritizing employee well-being and work-life balance.

Here are 6 HR strategies that are essential to facilitate summer leave and vacation planning without having it impact the business process.

1. Flexibility in Scheduling:

Recognizing the unique challenges posed by the summer season, organizations in the Middle East can consider adopting flexible work arrangements. These may include:

• Adjusted working hours,
• Compressed workweeks,
• Working remotely.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), providing flexible work arrangements during the summer season can have a positive impact on employee morale and productivity. This approach enables employees to effectively manage their time and avoid the harsh heat, leading to improved work-life balance.

Unilever Middle East serves as an example of a company that has effectively implemented flexible work arrangements, such as adjusted working hours and remote work options, specifically during the summer months. This implementation aligns with their commitment to accommodating employees' needs and enhancing work-life balance.

2. Clear Communication and Planning:

To facilitate efficient summer leave and vacation planning, it is vital for organizations to establish clear policies and guidelines.

HR departments should clearly communicate these policies well in advance, ensuring employees understand the process for requesting leave and the timelines for submission.

Providing employees with an online vacation planning tool or leave management system can streamline the process, enabling better coordination and preventing conflicts.

In order to successfully navigate summer vacation scheduling while still meeting quarterly goals, Forbes Human Resources members recently shared a number of effective strategies for navigating summer holiday schedules including:

• Collaborating with other departments can provide insights into peak business times and help establish a strategic vacation scheduling system with staggered time off and cross-functional coverage.
• Setting caps on PTO requests allows teams to plan and prepare for bandwidth concerns, giving priority to those who request PTO with advanced notice.
• Planning ahead, prioritizing projects with hard deadlines, and requesting PTO in advance are effective ways to balance goals and time off.
• Cross-training employees offers staffing flexibility and maintains productivity during peak periods.
• Establishing clear deadlines and honouring PTO requests by seniority or through a structured process can ensure fairness.
• Creating a floating vacation day and making department-specific guidelines help distribute time-off requests evenly and provide transparency in the approval process.
• Shifting projects, discussing vacation plans with managers, and setting higher goals before summer can also contribute to successful summer vacation scheduling.

3. Encouraging Early Vacation Planning:

It’s important for HR professionals to work with management and team leads to encourage employees to plan their summer vacations well in advance, especially during peak holiday periods.

By providing an annual vacation planning calendar, employees can indicate their preferred vacation dates early on. This allows HR teams to better manage staffing requirements, ensuring sufficient coverage and minimizing disruptions to operations.

According to Forbes, promoting early vacation planning among employees’ permits organizations in effectively managing staffing needs and mitigating sudden spikes in leave requests. By establishing an annual vacation planning calendar, employees are given the opportunity to express their preferred vacation dates ahead of time.

4. Cross-Training and Knowledge Sharing:

In order to mitigate the impact of employee absences during the summer, organizations can invest in cross-training initiatives.

By encouraging employees to share their knowledge and skills with their colleagues, this enables seamless coverage during vacation periods. Indeed, cross-training not only helps address staffing gaps, but it also enhances employee development and teamwork. There are a few ways HR can work with management to implement cross-training and knowledge sharing initiatives as a best practice:

• Identify Key Roles and Skills: Collaborate with management can identify critical roles, specific skills and knowledge to be shared with employees for cross-training.
• Develop a comprehensive training plan with clear objectives and timelines. It can include identifying trainers or subject matter experts who will facilitate the training sessions.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and mentorship to encourage active participation. This can involve assigning mentors to guide employees during the training process and providing opportunities for knowledge sharing sessions.
• Implement a knowledge sharing platform or system for employees to document and share expertise, best practices, and lessons learned. This platform can serve as a central repository of knowledge accessible to all employees.
• Establish a recognition program to reward and recognize employees' engagement in cross-training. Recognitions can include certificates, badges, or even performance evaluations tied to their participation.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the cross-training initiatives. They can gather feedback from participants, track the application of newly acquired skills, and make necessary adjustments to optimize the program's impact.
• Adjust and optimize the program based on feedback and outcomes.

These strategies can promote a culture of continuous learning, enhance teamwork and collaboration as well as ensure smooth operations even during employee absences.

5. Employee Well-being and Engagement:

Summer can be physically and mentally challenging for employees, especially in regions with extreme heat. As such, HR departments should prioritize employee well-being initiatives and think of solutions to reduce he impact of summer heat on productivity, such as promoting hydration, providing access to shaded areas, and implementing policies that allow for breaks to escape the heat. Additionally, organizing team-building activities or social events during the summer can boost employee morale and foster a positive work culture.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has recently announced that, starting from 15 June, they will enforce a decision prohibiting work performed under the sun and in open places from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM until 15 September. Following the announcement, companies with outdoor workers should conduct well-being campaigns during the summer, providing employees with access to shaded areas, distributing water bottles, and encouraging frequent breaks to combat the heat and maintain employee engagement. The ban begins June 15th and ends September 15th.

Summer leave and vacation planning require careful consideration in the Middle East due to the extreme temperatures. By implementing effective HR policies and strategies, organizations can strike a balance between operational needs and employee well-being.

Flexible scheduling, clear communication, proactive planning, cross-training, and employee engagement initiatives are key elements to ensure a successful and enjoyable summer break for employees, fostering a positive work environment and ultimately contributing to organizational success.

Improve your HR skills with a CIPD course today.