There are certain weeks in the calendar year that feel like they have magical properties.
Take this week, for instance. An employee who took leave on Tuesday 28 April, Wednesday 29 April, and Thursday 30 April ended up with nine consecutive days away from the office – a feat achieved with just three days of annual leave. Add in the Easter weekend earlier this month, and some savvy employees have managed nearly three weeks off in April using only a handful of leave days.
For South African business owners and managers, these high-value leave periods present a particular challenge. Freedom Day on on Monday 28 April and Workers’ Day following on Friday 1 May resulted in a week where three days of leave delivers triple the return.
The Fairness Question
The challenge isn’t that employees want to maximise their time off – that’s perfectly reasonable and shows good planning. The problem emerges when the same individuals consistently claim these premium leave slots year after year, while others miss out either because they don’t plan ahead or because they’re always too late to request.
In many South African businesses, there’s an unwritten rule: first come, first served. The employee who submits his / her leave application in January for that optimal June week gets it, while the colleague who applies in April is told it’s already taken. Over time, this creates resentment. Some team members seem to enjoy extended breaks multiple times a year, while others never get the chance.
This isn’t just about fairness for its own sake. When the same employees consistently benefit from these calendar quirks, it affects team morale, can contribute to burnout among those who are always covering, and may even influence retention. Your best performers might not complain openly, but they notice.
The SA Calendar
As a manager, it’s worth mapping out these high-value periods at the start of each year. In 2026, beyond the April situation we’ve just experienced, there are several other opportunities:
June brings Youth Day on 16 June, which falls on a Tuesday this year. Taking Monday 15 June and Wednesday 17 June gives someone a five-day break using just two leave days. August has Women’s Day on Sunday 9 August, with the public holiday observed on Monday 10 August – perfect for a long weekend. Heritage Day on 24 September falls on a Thursday, making the preceding Monday through Wednesday and the Friday after particularly attractive.
December is always complex, with the Day of Reconciliation on 16 December (a Wednesday this year) and Christmas falling on Friday 25 December. The period between these dates, combined with the weekend and New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January 2027, creates numerous opportunities for extended breaks with minimal leave usage.
Creating a Fair System
The most effective approach is to establish a transparent leave policy that specifically addresses these high-value periods. Some options that work well in South African businesses:
Rotation systems. If you had to decline someone’s request for the April long weekend this year because too many people were already off, that person gets priority for the next optimal period. Keep a record and ensure the benefits rotate fairly across your team.
Department minimums. Establish clear rules about how many people from each team or department can be away simultaneously during these periods. First come, first served within those constraints, but with the rotation principle ensuring the same people don’t always get in first.
Early planning incentives. Encourage all staff to submit their annual leave plans by a certain date each year – perhaps by end of January. Those who plan ahead and submit early get their choices, but everyone has an equal opportunity to identify and request the premium periods.
Transparent communication. Make it clear to your team that you’re aware of these high-value leave periods and that you’re actively managing them fairly. When someone’s request is declined, explain why and let them know when they’ll have priority.
The Business Perspective
From a pure business operations standpoint, these periods can be challenging. When multiple team members are away, productivity drops, client service may suffer, and those who remain carry extra load. This is unavoidable to some extent, but good planning helps.
Consider which high-value periods are historically your quietest times and which coincide with busy periods. You might be more generous with approval for the June long weekend if it’s a typically slow time, while being stricter about December if that’s when you have year-end deadlines.
Also recognize that for some employees, these aren’t just opportunities for leisure – they’re chances to visit family in distant places without eating up all their leave, or to take children on holiday during school breaks without depleting their annual leave entirely. The personal value is significant.
Leading by Example
If you’re the business owner or senior manager, your own leave behavior sets the tone. If you consistently claim the best leave periods for yourself while expecting others to be flexible, you’re creating exactly the inequity you should be preventing.
Conversely, being willing to work through some of these periods – or at least rotating when you take premium leave – demonstrates that you understand the sacrifice you’re asking of your team.
A Practical Approach
Start by reviewing what happened this year. Did the same individuals get Easter, Freedom Day / Workers’ Day, and are now likely to get the December period too? If so, it’s time to have conversations about fair rotation for next year.
Before the next high-value leave period, communicate your approach to the team. Let everyone know you’re committed to ensuring these opportunities are distributed fairly, and explain how you’ll manage requests going forward.
Remember, the goal isn’t to be difficult about leave or to micromanage time off. It’s to ensure that the calendar’s generous gifts are shared equitably across your team, so that everyone has the chance to maximize their work-life balance and return refreshed and committed to the business.
When managed well, strategic leave planning becomes a benefit that enhances your workplace culture rather than a source of friction. And that’s worth far more than any single long weekend.
