How to fairly schedule staff’s summer vacations in advance?

This was the question posed by one HR staffer to the HR Specialist Forum at Business Management Daily. This HR staffer was worried that staff schedules in the summer months could interfere with delivery schedules. Here were some of the suggestions offered by other HR professionals on how to approach scheduling staff for summer vacations:

1. Set a minimum time period for notice. eg. at least 3 days advanced notice.
2. Establish black out dates for the summer period ahead of time.
3. Communicate concerns to staff and ask if possible that they would be willing to collaborate on a schedule that would not have multiple staffers off at the same time.
4. Consider a first come-first served approach and a maximum number of staff who can be off at the same time.

The key was flexibility, with the understanding that staff should be encouraged to take earned vacation time. They will be more productive when they come back and the company will be better off.