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How to plan your team’s workload and availability during the holiday season
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A complete holiday season workload plan includes mapping team availability, aligning deadlines, redistributing responsibilities, creating clear handovers and scheduling all essential meetings before people leave. The easiest way to begin is to use a Doodle Group Poll to gather availability quickly and avoid endless Slack threads, delays and scheduling conflicts during the busiest time of the year.
Holiday season workload planning for professional teams
The end-of-year period is always a mix of celebrations, deadlines and shifting schedules. With people taking time off, projects wrapping up and clients slowing down or speeding up (sometimes both), the risk of confusion grows quickly.
This guide brings everything into one place — a clear checklist, a planning table and practical tips on how to keep your team running smoothly in December and early January. Whether you're leading a small team or coordinating multiple departments, structured planning now means a calmer, happier holiday season later.
What people ask when planning holiday workload and availability
Teams typically ask the same questions every year:
“Who is available when?”
“How do we cover essential tasks when half the team is off?”
“What needs to be finished before the break?”
“What can wait until January?”
“What’s the best way to coordinate handovers?”
“How do we avoid last-minute meeting chaos?”
“Can we plan all of this without dozens of messages?”
This article answers all of these — with templates you can copy and use immediately.
Complete holiday workload and availability planning checklist
Category | What to consider / what to do |
Collect availability | Use a Doodle Group Poll to gather PTO dates, partial availability and on-call coverage in minutes. |
Define coverage requirements | Identify what must be staffed: support, client communication, daily operations, approvals. |
Review workload peaks | Check recurring tasks, deadlines, end-of-month cycles and handovers due before the break. |
Prioritize deliverables | Decide what must be completed before the holidays vs. what can move to January. |
Reassign responsibilities | Redistribute work for team members who are away; communicate changes early. |
Schedule essential meetings | Use Doodle to lock in project wrap-ups, client check-ins and kickoff prep meetings. |
Create handover documents | Include progress updates, pending tasks, contact details and risks. |
Set communication rules | Define expectations for response times, emergencies, on-call duties and office closures. |
Align with external partners | Check client availability, vendor operations and shared deadlines. |
Update calendars | Add team-wide PTO, coverage schedules and final deadlines. |
Monitor workloads | Make sure no one is overloaded; adjust assignments if necessary. |
Prepare the return plan | Schedule a January kickoff meeting via Doodle to realign everyone quickly. |
Holiday season planning timeline
Timeline | What to do |
3–4 weeks before | Collect availability with Doodle, define task coverage, map deadlines. |
2 weeks before | Reassign tasks, complete handovers, schedule wrap-up meetings. |
1 week before | Finalize deliverables, confirm on-call rotation, notify clients/partners. |
Last working days | Share out-of-office summaries, set autoresponders, make sure all documents are accessible. |
First week of January | Run your kickoff meeting, review carryover tasks and reset priorities. |
How to use Doodle to plan holiday workload and availability
Use a Group Poll to gather availability
Instead of chasing people for dates, create one poll and let everyone mark:
full PTO days
half days
limited availability
remote-only days
on-call preferences
This gives you an instant overview of coverage gaps.
Use Doodle 1:1s or Booking Pages for coordination
Team leads or project managers can:
hold quick check-ins
book handover reviews
schedule pre-holiday approvals
No back-and-forth required.
Use Doodle for January planning
Before the break, set up a poll for your January kickoff or quarterly alignment meeting — when everyone is available.
Teams who plan December early report fewer last-minute emergencies, smoother handovers and a calmer return in January. With one shared overview of availability, leaders avoid overloaded teammates and keep essential operations running without stress.
How to keep holiday workload planning stress-free
Keep priorities realistic
Avoid over-scheduling meetings
Communicate absences early and clearly
Encourage people to finish tasks before leaving
Make all documents accessible
Check in with teammates who may pick up additional work
Confirm January plans in advance
Good planning isn’t about perfection — it’s about clarity and reducing uncertainty for everyone.
“Last December used to be our most chaotic month. This year we collected everyone’s availability with Doodle in minutes, reorganized responsibilities and planned all wrap-up meetings before the break. It was the smoothest holiday season we’ve ever had.” — Nadia P., Operations Manager
FAQ
How early should teams plan holiday availability?
Three to four weeks before the break works best — especially for teams with client-facing responsibilities.
How do we avoid last-minute work overload?
Prioritize tasks early, reassign responsibilities and maintain a shared list of handovers.
What should a handover document include?
Progress status, pending tasks, deadlines, risks, next steps and contact info.
How can teams stay aligned when many people are away?
Use a clear communication rule set, define backup contacts and set up a shared coverage calendar.
What’s the easiest way to schedule pre-holiday and January meetings?
Create Doodle Group Polls so everyone can vote quickly, even from mobile.
Ready to plan your team’s holiday availability?
Avoid scheduling chaos and start with clarity. Create a Doodle Group Poll, gather availability in minutes and plan your team’s holiday workload smoothly.
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