As the holidays roll around human resources departments have to invariably start dealing with an increased number of employee requests for time off. With all the hustle and bustle, all the shopping to be done and party arrangements to be made it is natural for workers to want to use their vacation days at this time of year.

Although you may feel that you should honor these requests in many cases doing so would leave the company critically understaffed. Here are a few hints for administering a holiday leave policy that is fair for all parties involved:

Establish criteria for handling holiday time off decisions: There should be a criteria set in stone that governs how holiday time off is approved. You may choose to go by seniority or  to grant requests on a first come, first served basis. Whatever guidelines you come up with ensure all managers and employees are aware of what is crucial to avoid arguments and accusations of favoritism.

Ask for volunteers first: Some people may be quite happy to work over the holidays, especially if doing so involves overtime pay. Before making a holiday employee schedule ask if there are any staff members who want to volunteer to work on a holiday.

Offer an Incentive: If the majority of employees in your office seem to request the same week off every year, right before the holidays, offer an incentive for employees to buck the trend. Consider offering employees an extra day’s vacation if they use their time after the vacation rush is over.

Consider alternatives to full days off: Allowing employees to follow a more flexible schedule around the holidays can kill two birds with one stone: the business remains productive while the employees have the time they need to attend to their personal holiday preparations. Allowing an employee to come in earlier than usual in order to leave a few hours before their usual quitting time and vice versa may be all the time they need to get all their holiday plans in order.