Parents prepare to juggle work and school holidays

Thousands of Bay of Plenty parents will take time off next week or try to juggle work responsibilities with tending children during the school holidays.

However, one the region's largest employers is not expecting any surge in leave requests, saying most workers understand it has a business to operate.

"We try and be flexible, but at the end of the day their ability to take time off is driven by our ability to give them time off," TrustPower community relations manager Graeme Purches said.

School students get about 12 weeks' holiday each year, whereas most workers are only entitled to four weeks' annual leave.

Mr Purches said staff understood it was impractical for lots of working parents to take time off together during the holidays.

"People who are really skilled that go out and process bills and read meters ... can't just be replaced."

Even during normal weeks, few workers took Mondays off as the company received twice as many calls as on other days, he said.

"Most of our staff understand that we're running a business and that's the way it is."

Business NZ says the best way to manage leave at school holidays is to make sure requests are filed as early as possible.

"School holidays are set out at the beginning of the year," chief executive Phil O'Reilly said.

"So, getting in early is key."

Employees had to communicate with each other and their managers about leave, he said.

"It's give and take.

"Obviously, there's always a lot of people who want time off around school holidays," Mr O'Reilly said.

"For example, if you've got a group of employees, and three of them have kids, one might say, 'I want to take the May school holidays away' and the other one might say, 'Okay, I'll take the August ones'."

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, which represents more than 40,000 New Zealand workers, recommends a ballot system be used if too many leave requests are put in at the same time.

"If a number of people are seeking it [leave], then you go into a ballot," spokesman Mark James said.

"So you are balloted for that time off."

He stressed the importance of planning ahead, as most issues could usually be worked out if enough notice was given.

About one month ago, a member's case was referred to the union after the man's Christmas leave request was denied, Mr James said.

"The boss said he couldn't allow him that time off because he'd be the only suitable person on site to operate the forklift.

"We said, 'This far out - why aren't you training someone else ... so then this worker can have the time off'."

After negotiations, the employer agreed to grant leave and train someone else for the role, Mr James said.