13 Smart Strategies For Managing Summer Vacation Schedules

Forbes

13-06-2025

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As summer rolls around, managing overlapping vacation requests and maintaining team productivity can become a real challenge for employers. To successfully balance employee time off with business demands, teams need thoughtful planning, clear communication, and a flexible mindset.
Whether it's cross-training staff, adjusting deadlines or using scheduling tools, there are smart ways leaders can keep operations running smoothly during the summer slowdown. Here, Forbes Human Resources Council members share their top strategies for handling vacation schedules while keeping teams on track.
A great way to cope with summer vacation schedules would be to plan in advance and keep your team in the loop. Communicate your expectations clearly and set doable deadlines before people start heading off. Stay organized and spread out work strategically so that the work deliverables are on time and employees enjoy their time off. - Smiti Bhatt Deorah, AdvantageClub.ai
Set the tone that you support time off and want all of our employees to enjoy their summer holidays. In order to do so, you need to plan in advance and in some cases ask for adjustments to ensure you are properly staffed to care for our patients, while supporting a healthy work-life balance. The strategy is not in the scheduling; it is having an environment where the employees want to make it work. - Jalie Cohen, Radiology Partners
Flexibility and open communication are critical. Establishing trust allows employees to plan vacation time responsibly while remaining accountable; transparent calendars, cross-functional collaboration and prioritizing critical work all help teams navigate summer schedules smoothly. - Sherri Reese, Michigan State University
Your team must enjoy and appreciate their time off. When they return, they will be supercharged and productive. Your key role is to let them know that the work will still be there when they return, and that their 'job' is to enjoy their vacation, relax, decompress and heal. - John Pierce, John Pierce Consulting
I believe planning ahead will minimize stress and help the team feel supported. Prioritize team wellbeing by mapping out vacation schedules, adjusting timelines and balancing workloads fairly. Encourage open communication to manage expectations. This ensures smooth operations while keeping your team valued, rested and motivated. - Eiman Alhammadi, ADNOC
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Develop a game plan and make it transparent. Request vacation dates well ahead to balance workloads. Use a system like first-come, first-served or rotation for approvals. Ensure team members can cover for each other. Employ software to track and manage absences. Regularly inform staff about leave plans and updates. - Bill Howatt, Howatt HR
Summer vacations and schedules should be planned early in the year. The intent is to always try to accommodate requests so employees can rest and enjoy time with family. Setting summer expectations early on helps employees manage their time off and creates a team spirit so teammates can cover for each other. Ensure the time off calendar is accessible to everyone, which helps with planning. - Heather Smith, Flimp
The best strategy for coping with summer vacation schedules involves thoughtful planning and proactive communication across the team. Start early by gathering vacation plans from all team members to create visibility around coverage needs. From there, ensure cross-training for backup support. Proactively manage workloads by prioritizing critical tasks and deferring lower-priority projects. - Britton Bloch, Navy Federal
Plan things in advance to solicit time-off requests. Set clear submission deadlines. Keep year-to-year records so no one corners Labor Day week every time. And—it goes without saying—it's no morale-builder when top-flight execs devour all the prime vacation time. Be seen spreading the perks around. - John Kannapell, CYPHER Learning
Plan early, communicate often. We treat summer like a mini season of capacity planning—teams align on key priorities, coverage plans and deadlines upfront. Flexibility is key, but clarity is what keeps the momentum. No one should be a bottleneck or burnout point while others unplug. We also review what has already been requested and map out PTO to ensure equity across the team. - Stephanie Manzelli, Employ Inc.
We treat summer not as a disruption, but as a leadership opportunity. Our strategy starts with proactive planning—teams align leave calendars early, identify workload peaks and cross-train members for seamless coverage. Leaders role-model flexibility while keeping client and delivery commitments intact. The focus is on balance and integration, not burnout. - Ankita Singh, Relevance Lab
Prioritize what can be prioritized. What I mean by that is to minimize work that can be done during periods of full staff—for a human resources department, this could be conversion to benefit plans or system overhauls and changes. When you're as intentional as possible, you minimize some of the overload that the summer vacation season comes with. - Nakisha Dixon, Helios HR LLC
Summer isn't a disruption—it's a diagnostic. If one person's PTO derails momentum, the issue isn't scheduling—it's structure. We use summer to test readiness: coverage, clarity and care. Build out capacity maps. Prioritize cross-training. Leaders should model rest as a strategy, not a perk. When time off is honored systemically, resilience isn't seasonal—it's cultural. - Apryl Evans, USA for UNHCR