Start with the work that continues
Cleaning, facilities and other site services often continue while office teams take leave. List the locations that remain open, their agreed service requirements and any changes to access times. Identify the shifts, approvals and reporting deadlines that still need an owner. Share one current plan with the people responsible for delivery rather than relying on separate email threads.
Agree cover and decision-making
Name a primary contact and a deputy for each operational responsibility. Explain who can approve a replacement worker, respond to a site issue or correct an attendance record. Check that leave arrangements do not leave an approval queue without an authorised reviewer. The handover should explain what requires immediate attention and what can wait until normal staffing resumes.
Check mobile access before the break
Ask the duty team to test their approved apps and accounts on the devices they will actually use. Confirm which records and actions their roles allow, and check reception at the relevant sites. Provide a documented fallback for failed submissions or unavailable devices. Keep account access personal; sharing a password to cover an absence creates avoidable confusion about who performed an action.
Confirm your support arrangements
Keep the agreed support contact details with the handover, together with service hours, escalation steps and the information needed to report an issue. Confirm these against your customer agreement or with the Glidesk team before the holiday period. This guide does not promise round-the-clock assistance, response times or uninterrupted service. When reporting a problem, describe the affected workflow and avoid sending unnecessary workforce information.
Reconcile when normal cover returns
Review outstanding tasks, temporary records and attendance exceptions with the returning team. Record which issues were resolved and which still need a decision. Use that review to improve the next handover: unclear ownership, missing access and incomplete contact information are practical changes you can address before the next holiday.