How to deal with a high-performing employee who wants to take a long vacation?

mikeerdas

How does one, and should one, accommodate a high-performing employee with a strong work ethic who asks to take a "trip of a lifetime"--a long vacation lasting ~3-4 weeks? Is it something to seriously consider granting if the employee has accrued the time? What issues are involved?

Thanks.

Mike

PHS09

I'd consider it.  If it is going to cause a problem with staffing, that could be an issue but otherwise I'd say if they have the time let them  go.

cappy

[quote user="mikeerdas"]

How does one, and should one, accommodate a high-performing employee with a strong work ethic who asks to take a "trip of a lifetime"--a long vacation lasting ~3-4 weeks? Is it something to seriously consider granting if the employee has accrued the time? What issues are involved?

Thanks.

Mike

[/quote]

The issue I see is the identification of the employee being a high-performer. Where-as we usually think more of the high performing employee and tend to want to 'help' them out, the issue isn't the employee being a great employee but how you will operate under your policy for any employee that has accrued or earned time and wants to use it. What if you had an employee that is in a protected class that was marginal but met the day to day expectations and that employee made the same request? I'm sure you would think about it of course but it is so much easier to think about if it was a great employee.

If any employee has time accrued and you can accommodate their absence certainly let them go. 

TXHRGuy

[quote user="cappy"][quote user="mikeerdas"] How does one, and should one, accommodate a high-performing employee with a strong work ethic who asks to take a "trip of a lifetime"--a long vacation lasting ~3-4 weeks? Is it something to seriously consider granting if the employee has accrued the time? What issues are involved?

Thanks.

Mike [/quote]

[...] 

If any employee has time accrued and you can accommodate their absence certainly let them go. 

[/quote]

...And why wouldn't you if you could?  I think we sometimes make things more complicated than they are by worrying about unknown barriers.  If the leave can be accomodated, even if the person were a low performer, why wouldn't you accomodate it?  It's not the low performer's fault that you've maintained them as an employee long enough to acquire 4 weeks of vacation.