How can I schedule workers' time off when there's no time they can be off?

By John Wilcox, Moderator
10/20/2009 - 3:00pm
Compensation & Benefits , The HR Specialist Forum , People Management , Human Resources

John Wilcox, Moderator

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John Wilcox is senior editor of 15 HR Specialist newsletters covering employment law, compensation and benefits, as well as theHRSpecialist.com. A journalist who has covered HR, training, organization development and business management for more than 15 years, John keeps his finger on the pulse of what’s working in HR through daily contact with some of the nation’s top HR pros, business people and employment law attorneys.

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I have two part-time security guards working at the same location. One of them works four nights a week; the other works three nights a week. We need security coverage at this site seven nights a week, 365 nights a year. How do I handle giving them the "holiday" time off they're entitled to if someone has to be there all the time?—Lisa D.

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8 Responses to "How can I schedule workers' time off when there's no time they can be off?"

Melissa

said this on 20 Oct 2009 4:49:15 PM EDT

Without know all the details about your facility/company, it's hard to give a good answer. One solution might be to hire a temporary person through a reputable security company. Also consider hiring a 3rd person and rotating schedules.

(Reply to this comment)

Roni

said this on 20 Oct 2009 5:29:08 PM EDT

Ask each of them to work rotating extra nights to cover for the others' absence.

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Sarah

said this on 21 Oct 2009 8:47:49 AM EDT

Assuming you're talking about the upcoming holiday season why not schedule them this way:

Person A works Thanksgiving Day, has that Friday off
Person B works Thanksgiving Friday, has Thanksgiving Day off

Person A works Christmas Eve, has Christmas off
Person B works Christmas day, has Christmas Eve off

Holiday pay is paid on the day worked so Person B would be paid for Thanksgiving even though they work the "non-holiday" part of the week. Then Person A would be paid for Christmas even though holiday pay is not normally given for Christmas Eve.

Then next year swap holidays between Person A and B. If they worked Christmas Day this year then next year they work Thanksgiving day and have Christmas Day off.

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Klaus R. Rauter

said this on 26 Oct 2009 10:07:50 PM EDT

Dear Lisa D.
You simply don't have enough staff!
You need minimum 3 guards! Paid overtime is another solution to consider, but be careful, too much overtime reduces staff moral as well.

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Scott

said this on 26 Oct 2009 11:27:34 PM EDT

If the guards are union and you can pick up rotating persons through the union hall. Schedule the 4 day guard to train a person before the holidays, then schedule each part time guard 3 days and the rotating guard one day per week.

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Warren

said this on 27 Oct 2009 2:04:26 PM EDT

I have managed at a non-union manufacturing facility, and we had 24x7 operations. We had security and staff that worked around the clock, and they even worked on holidays. I am uncertain why you feel they are "entitled to it", are you referring to holiday pay, or actual time off. You can have the person scheduled to work on the holiday work the holiday, and pay them both for the hours worked, and the 8 hours of holiday pay. This is how we always handled holidays at our plant. In fact, many of the operators, QC, and security staff enjoyed the extra money versus having the day off. If you are consistent with this pratice, than there is no need to adjust scheduled ever for the holidays, especially when there has to be someone there. Take care.

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mog

said this on 28 Oct 2009 7:47:43 AM EDT

Are the security guards a separate classification? If not you may want to consider creating one specific to them and write special regulations. If the holiday falls on their watch, you can pay them differential time. You can also rotate the holidays, i.e. one gets July 4th this year and another gets it in the following year.

If the security guards were hired via a professional agency, contact the agency and ask for a temp for the holidays.

If the security guards are union employees, go back to the contract and see how it reads. There should be a clause to cover this situation. If not, contact the union rep.

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Wil

said this on 28 Oct 2009 9:49:27 AM EDT

Lisa,

I think a temp agency would be a great asset to your business. They can provide you with a guard when needed and you don't have to pay all the taxes...

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How can I schedule workers' time off when there's no time they can be off?

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