Why this time of year creates pressure for employers
For many employers, late spring is one of the busiest points in the holiday calendar. Teams have just come through the Easter break and, in England and Wales, the Early May bank holiday and Spring bank holiday arrive only a few weeks later.
In 2026, the England and Wales bank holidays around this period are Good Friday on 3 April, Easter Monday on 6 April, Early May bank holiday on 4 May, and Spring bank holiday on 25 May. That run of short weeks often leads to a surge in annual leave requests, especially where employees are looking to extend a long weekend or plan time away around school holidays.
For employers still managing leave through spreadsheets, inboxes, or separate manager approvals, this can quickly become hard to control. It is not always easy to see who is already off, where clashes might arise, or whether decisions are being made consistently across the business.
The common problems around bank holiday periods
When leave requests build up around bank holidays, the same issues tend to appear again and again. Multiple employees may request the same dates, key teams may be left short of cover, and managers can end up making rushed decisions without a full view of the wider team calendar.
There can also be confusion around entitlement.
Most workers who work a 5-day week must receive at least 28 days' paid annual leave a year, which is the equivalent of 5.6 weeks. Employers can choose to include bank holidays within that statutory minimum. That means the way holiday is set up internally needs to be clear, especially for part-time staff, new starters, or businesses using different leave years across teams.
Without a clear process, what should be a straightforward admin task can become time-consuming and inconsistent.
A better way to manage holiday requests
A strong holiday management process should make it easy to see who is off, what leave has already been approved, and where there may be pressure on cover before a decision is made.
WorkSmarter's Holiday Planner is designed to do exactly that. Employees can submit requests through the platform, managers are notified immediately, and the shared Holiday Calendar is updated once a decision is made. The system can also flag clashes, track leave in days or hours, and help employers manage entitlements more clearly across the year.
WorkSmarter also allows businesses to turn public holidays on for relevant users, so those dates are already added to the calendar and do not need to be booked manually. Where a business includes bank holidays within a worker's total annual entitlement, settings can be adjusted so balances reflect the correct number of bookable days.
Why the Document Library matters too
Holiday management is not only about approving requests. It also depends on having the right letters, policies, and supporting documents in place so managers and employees understand the rules around leave, notice, carry over, and related HR procedures.
WorkSmarter's Document Library gives employers access to over 120 fully compliant HR template documents. Templates can be edited online, saved as Word or PDF files, and used across a wide range of scenarios including absence, sickness, maternity, recruitment, performance management, and termination.
That makes it easier for employers to keep key HR documents close to the day-to-day processes they support. If a business is reviewing holiday rules, updating internal guidance, or formalising procedures, having those templates readily available can save considerable time and reduce the risk of inconsistency.
Keeping holiday admin and HR documents connected
One of the biggest causes of HR admin inefficiency is fragmentation. Leave is handled in one place, employee files in another, and template letters or policies somewhere else again.
Bringing these areas together makes holiday periods easier to manage. Managers get better visibility, employees receive clearer communication, and the business has a more reliable record of what has been requested, approved, and documented.
For growing employers in particular, that joined-up approach can make a real difference during busy times of year.
The bank holiday season is a useful reminder that annual leave management needs to be both clear and consistent. When multiple requests arrive at once, manual systems can make it harder to stay organised and harder for managers to make informed decisions.
WorkSmarter helps employers manage holiday requests, employee records, and supporting HR documents in one place. That means less admin, better visibility, and a smoother process for everyone involved.
Need support with holiday management or want to see how WorkSmarter works in practice? Get in touch with the team today.
