True Cost of Employment
See the full cost of hiring a florist with NI, pension, holiday pay, and hidden admin time rolled into one clear report.
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Staff Holiday Planner
Plan holiday allowances, blackout peak trading weeks, and approve requests so your team stays covered during Valentine's and Mother's Day.
The Real Problem
Handling holiday requests without the rota falling apart
Last‑minute gaps
Requests land by text or scrawled in the book. Nothing checks the rota, so a Saturday goes thin before you notice.
Peak week stress
Valentine’s and Mother’s Day creep up fast. With no blackouts in place, you end up turning down time off late and upsetting the team.
Part‑time fairness
Days versus hours gets murky for part‑timers. When people can’t see what’s fair, trust starts to slip.
What Changes With This Planner
Clear rules, fewer surprises, a team that knows where it stands
Blackouts up‑front
Block peak weeks back in January, so everyone knows the score and no one books over Valentine’s.
Cover‑aware approvals
The calendar knows how many people can be off each day. A request only goes through if there’s still cover.
Hours that feel fair
Track part‑timers in hours, not days. Everyone can see what they’ve taken and what’s left at a glance.
Blackout Preview
See your protected peak weeks at a glance
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Blackout: Valentine’s week
Today’s Cover (Example)
A quick read on who’s off before you set the rota
Max off today: 2 · Approved: 1 · Slots left: 1
Once the slots hit zero, any new request waits in a queue for the manager to look at.
Allowance Examples
Plain policies your staff can follow
- Full‑time: 28 days (including bank holidays)
- Part‑time: pro‑rata by contracted hours
- Blackouts: Valentine’s week, Mother’s Day week, Christmas week
Emergency leave stays at the manager’s discretion. Where you can, swap a shift rather than turn the request down flat.
Key Controls
Fair rules your staff can rely on
Blackout dates
Protect your peak weeks (Valentine's, Mother's Day, Christmas). Requests inside a blackout are declined automatically.
Max off per day
Set how many can be off per day or per role, so shifts stay covered. The slots left show on the calendar.
Notice window
Ask for 6–8 weeks' notice. Anything shorter gets flagged for the manager to look at.
Accrual in days or hours
Track part‑time staff in hours to keep it fair. The planner handles both, with pro‑rata rules.
Bank holidays
Roll them into the allowance or keep them separate. Either way it's clear on the shared calendar.
Approval rules
First come, first served outside blackouts, with manager discretion on clashes. Notes are saved against each approval.
Manager Tips
Plain rules your team will trust
- Track part‑timers in hours, not days. It’s clearer week to week.
- Share your blackout dates every January, so everyone can plan around them.
- Add a short note on each approval, so the decisions feel fair across shifts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Block Valentine's, Mother's Day and Christmas so no one books time off when you need full cover.
Yes. Set separate allowances and rules for each contract type so entitlements are calculated correctly.
Yes. Export a shared calendar so the team always knows who is off and when.
Yes. Enter contract hours and start date and the planner works out the pro-rata allowance.
It uses the standard UK statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks as a baseline, which you can adjust for your contracts.
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