Given that there are now quite a few of us, it has proven necessary for us to re-visit and revise slightly the procedure for booking holidays and perhaps more importantly, to re-establish and remind ourselves of the Firm’s holiday rules which are as follows:
- It is now required that the attached form is completed and submitted to the Practice Director for approval before booking any time off.
- It is expected that anyone requesting a holiday would have liaised with their Fee Earner/Secretary/Team Members before requesting time off. Not more than two weeks may be taken at any one time, except at the Directors’ discretion.
- Wherever possible, holidays must be booked at least 2 weeks in advance.
- No more than 3 secretaries in the Firm and no more than 1 secretary in each Team should be on holiday at the same time.
- Out of courtesy and in consideration for others, during our peak period, please note that you will be expected to take a maximum of two weeks holiday between 1st July and 30th September.
In addition:
- It is essential that there is adequate cover for all our clients at all times regardless of holidays. For example, a Fee Earner and their Secretary should never be away at the same time or indeed at consecutive times/back to back. This means that there should always be a handing over period between the Fee Earner and Secretary’s holidays. Ideally there should be a week’s interval between a Fee Earner and their Secretary’s holidays.
- Holiday requests should not be taken as approved until they have been agreed and signed off by the Practice Director, who will ensure at all times that such approval is not unreasonably withheld.
- Where another employee has booked their holiday during the period you also wish to take have time off and this is likely to prejudice the overall staffing of the office, your holiday request may not be approved and you may be required instead to choose alternative holiday dates.
In summary, please let us all ensure that:
- We exercise due consideration for Team Members and work load when requesting time off
- Cover required during busy periods should be kept in mind when requesting holidays; and
We recognise the importance of first liaising with Team Members and being fair enough not to request certain periods of the year off repeatedly. For instance, I will always discuss the Half Terms and school holidays with Paula and Mark, who like me have young children and we will be considerate in sharing the holidays and half terms between us equally. The same principle should be applied in every Team, please.
