A retail manager’s guide to fair holiday rostering year-round

As other companies wind down during seasonal highs and lows, retail businesses are ramping up in preparation for heightened demand and traffic in-store and online. In Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), retailers experience significant spikes in trading during the Christmas and New Year period, and fair and predictable rostering is essential for compliance, customer service, and staff wellbeing.

However, Dayforce research on organisational friction found that 44% of retailers list workforce scheduling as one of their top challenges, with 74% of respondents stating that there is no one to cover when someone is absent. Improper and inconsistent rostering can lead to burnout and impact service quality. Here are several ways retailers can better manage time-off requests and promote predictability and fairness year-round.

1. Empower employees to manage their own schedules

While retailers have invested heavily in improving customer experience, many still rely on manual or paper-based rostering systems. This creates frustration for both managers and staff, hindering communication and optimisation.

By offering mobile self-service rostering tools, retailers can enable staff to view shifts, swap rosters, and request time off from anywhere. When staff have greater control, they’re more likely to be engaged, leading to improved productivity, reduced turnover, and enhanced customer service.

2. Plan ahead and provide advance notice

Planning and scheduling labour in advance remains a challenge for many retail organisations. In fact, 4 in 10 organisations in ANZ say that they do not have the data they need to accurately predict labour and demand needs.

Dysfunctional practices such as “just-in-time” or “call-in” scheduling create unpredictability for staff, making it difficult to arrange GP appointments, childcare, or second jobs. Fluctuations in hours can also result in significant pay variations, causing income instability.

Under Australia’s Fair Work Act 2009, employers must discuss and provide notice before changing rosters or ordinary hours of work. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, employers are required to give reasonable notice when altering shifts; if a shift is cancelled, employers may need to pay for the shift or provide compensation.

Providing staff with stable, predictable schedules — especially during peak periods like Christmas or Boxing Day — helps reduce stress and improve overall satisfaction.

3. Offer flexibility where possible

A Dayforce report on retail workers found that workers and managers are ready to jump ship for employers that offer not just a better schedule but also greater control over how they can show up for work.

Flexibility is often the key to solving these challenges. This can mean different things across employers, from remote management roles, shift swaps, or letting employees indicate preferred availability through a mobile app. These arrangements can help lift morale and reduce absenteeism, especially during long weekends and busy seasons.

4. Match the right people to the right tasks

Effective task management helps ensure that staff are assigned to tasks they’re skilled in — whether rolling out merchandising displays, auditing stock, or supporting sales campaigns.

Integrating task management into labour planning helps allocate hours more efficiently and ensures key roles are staffed appropriately, improving both productivity and the customer experience.

5. Create a standardised time-off policy

Retailers should maintain clear, transparent time-off policies. These should outline:

• When staff can start submitting requests
• How requests should be submitted (app, email, or scheduling software)
• Deadlines before peak periods
• Blackout dates (e.g., Christmas, Boxing Day, etc.)
• Protocols for emergency leave requests

Clear communication helps prevent confusion and promotes fairness across teams.

As the year wraps up, many staff may want to use their remaining annual leaves. However, some employees may continue to carry over unused leaves and balances from year to year, which can create workforce planning challenges during peak periods.

Retailers should encourage employees to take their earned annual leave throughout the year to support well-being and prevent burnout. At the same time, managers need to plan ahead and communicate clearly about how leave requests are prioritised during busy seasons. By setting clear expectations around leave policies — including how unused leave is managed — employers can maintain compliance, reduce scheduling stress, and help teams feel valued and refreshed.

6. Check in with your workforce

The end of the year is one of the most demanding periods for retail teams, especially during the Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year rush. Acknowledging staff contributions and showing appreciation can go a long way. Regular check-ins, team shout-outs, or small thank-you gestures help boost morale and retention.

Build fairer, more predictable retail rosters

A fair, transparent, and predictable approach to rosters benefits everyone — from store managers to front-line staff to customers.

By using human capital management software to manage time-off requests, track labour, and support flexibility, retailers in ANZ can support compliance, deliver better service, and engage their workers through both busy and slow seasons.

Manage your retail operations with an advanced workforce management strategy. Download our guide today.

This blog was originally published on 21 October 2022, and has been updated with new regional information.