Experts suggest hospital leaders make a yearly holiday policy that clearly explains the rules. For example, it should list how many personal days off are allowed in different units based on what’s usually needed, explain who needs to approve requests, cover rules for emergency days off, and more. Letting the staff know about this policy early and telling them about it consistently helps them trust leadership. Also, having backup plans to handle more last-minute call-outs than expected is smart.

To avoid turning down holiday requests when possible, consider flexible ways that use staff goodwill. For instance, if managed fairly, many employees will swap a less popular holiday shift for a more wanted one. You can help staff voluntarily trade shifts through an online platform where they can see open slots and make requests. This gives them some control in customizing holiday schedules while still meeting patient needs.

Providing extra pay for working in-demand holidays is another proven way to get volunteer staff. Other staffing tips include overtime, hazard compensation, flexible PTO, gift cards, or catered hospital meals. Make sure bonuses are fair across all units and teams. Clearly telling staff about these holiday incentives will help drive sign-ups to cover the needed shifts.

Experts suggest hospital leaders make a yearly holiday policy that clearly explains the rules. For example, it should list how many personal days off are allowed in different units based on what’s usually needed, explain who needs to approve requests, cover rules for emergency days off, and more. Letting the staff know about this policy early and telling them about it consistently helps them trust leadership. Also, having backup plans to handle more last-minute call-outs than expected is smart.

To avoid turning down holiday requests when possible, consider flexible ways that use staff goodwill. For instance, if managed fairly, many employees will swap a less popular holiday shift for a more wanted one. You can help staff voluntarily trade shifts through an online platform where they can see open slots and make requests. This gives them some control in customizing holiday schedules while still meeting patient needs.

Providing extra pay for working in-demand holidays is another proven way to get volunteer staff. Other staffing tips include overtime, hazard compensation, flexible PTO, gift cards, or catered hospital meals. Make sure bonuses are fair across all units and teams. Clearly telling staff about these holiday incentives will help drive sign-ups to cover the needed shifts.

Sophisticated staff scheduling software can optimize schedules based on the expected patient volume, historical holiday demand, and when staff says they are available. Features like automated shift swapping let employees easily trade holiday shifts depending on their plans. Shift reminders and easy shift sign-ups reduce last-minute rushes to fill open slots. Detailed reporting gives administrators real-time information to make informed decisions about holiday staffing.

With gaps in holiday staffing likely, offering and expanding telehealth services means patients can connect with providers virtually if no in-person provider is available. This ensures patients still get timely access to care. On-call nurses or doctors can handle urgent telehealth requests, allowing flexible shift work for staff. Telehealth also reduces unnecessary ER visits, so staff can focus on higher-need patients.

Clear communication is essential with remote staff and varied holiday schedules. Expanding beyond email to group messaging platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams allows real-time updates when fast responses are needed. Automated shift reminders also keep staff informed. Having backup plans allows administrators to take quick action despite potential issues.

Experts suggest hospital leaders make a yearly holiday policy that clearly explains the rules. For example, it should list how many personal days off are allowed in different units based on what’s usually needed, explain who needs to approve requests, cover rules for emergency days off, and more. Letting the staff know about this policy early and telling them about it consistently helps them trust leadership. Also, having backup plans to handle more last-minute call-outs than expected is smart.

To avoid turning down holiday requests when possible, consider flexible ways that use staff goodwill. For instance, if managed fairly, many employees will swap a less popular holiday shift for a more wanted one. You can help staff voluntarily trade shifts through an online platform where they can see open slots and make requests. This gives them some control in customizing holiday schedules while still meeting patient needs.

Providing extra pay for working in-demand holidays is another proven way to get volunteer staff. Other staffing tips include overtime, hazard compensation, flexible PTO, gift cards, or catered hospital meals. Make sure bonuses are fair across all units and teams. Clearly telling staff about these holiday incentives will help drive sign-ups to cover the needed shifts.

Sophisticated staff scheduling software can optimize schedules based on the expected patient volume, historical holiday demand, and when staff says they are available. Features like automated shift swapping let employees easily trade holiday shifts depending on their plans. Shift reminders and easy shift sign-ups reduce last-minute rushes to fill open slots. Detailed reporting gives administrators real-time information to make informed decisions about holiday staffing.

With gaps in holiday staffing likely, offering and expanding telehealth services means patients can connect with providers virtually if no in-person provider is available. This ensures patients still get timely access to care. On-call nurses or doctors can handle urgent telehealth requests, allowing flexible shift work for staff. Telehealth also reduces unnecessary ER visits, so staff can focus on higher-need patients.

Clear communication is essential with remote staff and varied holiday schedules. Expanding beyond email to group messaging platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams allows real-time updates when fast responses are needed. Automated shift reminders also keep staff informed. Having backup plans allows administrators to take quick action despite potential issues.

Workforce management software looks at the historical data on how many patients a hospital had over past holidays. Using smart algorithms, it analyzes trends over earlier years to predict fluctuations in patient numbers by season. This allows managers to plan enough staff to meet the expected patient demand during the holidays.

As time off requests come in, and patient numbers rise, efficiently filling open nursing and doctor slots is crucial. Workforce software lets staff trade holiday shifts based on their availability and preferences, while automated reminders keep managers updated on gaps in the schedule. Centralized scheduling also helps smoother cross-training and sharing of staff between units during the holidays.

Short staffing is almost inevitable during the holidays. Robust workforce platforms integrate telehealth, letting patients connect with providers working remotely when no in-person clinician is available. This ensures patients can still access care over the holidays despite limitations on site.

With patient levels and staff availability changing daily over the holidays, workforce analytics offer managers key insights to make sound staffing adjustments. Dashboards show scheduled hours versus patient numbers by unit, enabling quicker responses.