Newly set up business and budding entrepreneurs commonly work round the clock. In fact, they often work overtime. In their enthusiasm they may fail to give employees rest and relaxation due them. Companies can still grant employee break times yet remain productive by strategically planning employee breaks so that company operations won’t be handicapped.

Vacation policies must be well planned and provisions must be communicated clearly. This allows your workforce to remain energize and motivated. Scheduled break times actually improve labor productivity. As employees are re-energized, they are able to perform to their best. Also, employee breaks allow your employees to physically renew themselves allowing them to remain healthy. This saves you from notorious sick leave requests.

Remember to count total days. Although the federal government does not require companies to offer paid days off, over three quarters of the American labor force receive vacation days with pay. If you do not offer your employees (and prospective employees) the same, you’ll have a lot of problems keeping your current work force. Also, you’ll find it hard to bring in good quality employees.

You may get facts on company legal obligations from the web site of the U.S. Department of Labor. Expedia.com has an annual Vacation Deprivation study which shows an average of 14 vacation days received by the American employee. Complete information is also available at Payscale.com. The site gives a break down of the average number of vacation days by over a dozen criteria. This includes age and industry.

When instituting a vacation policy, remember to have advance notifications and specify blackout dates to your employees. Let them know of all other limitations. Prevent your worker from taking vacations at the same time since this may cause operational problems for your company. Require employees to give a notice in advance. Set the number of days advance notices should be given.

Exclude peak business periods from applicable vacation dates. Just make sure to disclose limitations and exclusions in your employee handbook or manual. A sample of an employee handbook template is available from the EmployeeHandbookStore.com. Vacation forms may be found at HRDirect.com. Useful strategies for keeping business at a continuum in spite of employee vacations are given at About.com.

You may replace the traditional vacation days and personal days, and sick leaves with ‘Paid Time Off’. With this type, all types are combined into one kind of paid days. Employees are given a set number of ‘paid time off’ days from which they will deduct all applicable leaves. This helps prevent sudden notices of sickness or vacation absences. Salary.com gives paid time off policies. Pros and cons are given at Monster.com.

Although employees are given equal vacation privileges, length of stay can be an exception. Employers may grant employees an increase in vacation time based on their length of employment. This encourages loyalty and allows the company to create progressive levels of vacation time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a chart of the average number of vacation days for American workers (different tenures).

Tags: Employee incentives, Employee Productivity, Vacation Policy