The answer depends on more than how many people will be away. It also depends on their jobs, when they work and whether either request has already been agreed. Getting those details together gives you a decision you can explain.
Check the work that would be left uncovered
Consider a small trade counter with four people working on Friday. Alex can handle the counter or dispatch, Bea works on the counter, and Chris and Dan handle dispatch. The business needs one person on each job throughout the day.
A rule allowing two people off would produce different results depending on who asks:
| Requests for Friday | People remaining | Cover available |
|---|---|---|
| Alex and Bea | Chris and Dan | Two people for dispatch; nobody for the counter |
| Alex and Chris | Bea and Dan | One person for the counter and one for dispatch |
This is a hypothetical example, but it shows why a company-wide limit can be too crude. The same number of absences can leave you adequately staffed or unable to open part of the business.
Check the dates and hours as well. A week-long request might clash with another person's leave on just one afternoon. Someone who works mornings cannot cover an afternoon gap, and a colleague who can do two jobs cannot necessarily do both at once. Include leave already approved and other known absences when you work out who will actually be there.
Write down the specific shortage: for example, no trained counter cover from 1pm to closing on Friday. That is something you can investigate. A general feeling that the week will be busy is much harder to assess.
Could both requests work with different arrangements?
Once you know where the gap is, you can judge whether it is practical to fill. A colleague might be able to change a shift, an owner might cover the counter, or work might be moved to another day. Each option has a cost or consequence. Moving someone from dispatch only helps if dispatch can still manage.
Confirm the arrangement with the people involved before approving leave on that basis. An offer to help, an unconfirmed shift change and booked cover are different things. If you are relying on overtime or temporary staff, check availability and cost rather than assuming they will be there.
You can also ask whether different dates would suit either applicant. They may have fixed plans. Make clear that you are exploring an option and give them room to decline it.
If only one person can go
The holiday policy should explain how competing requests are decided. Acas advises employers to follow their policy and communicate holiday restrictions clearly and early.
Different approaches involve different compromises. First request received gives a quick, traceable answer, provided everyone has the same way to submit a request. It can repeatedly favour people who know their plans furthest ahead. You also need a clear record if one request arrived by email and another was mentioned in person.
Rotating priority for popular dates can spread access to a particular week over successive years. It requires a record of previous allocations and an agreed way to handle new starters or people who did not request those dates last year. Decide those details before using it.
Another possibility for future busy periods is an application window: collect requests until a stated date, then consider them together using a published allocation rule. That gives people time to apply, but it delays confirmation. A deadline alone does not tell you who gets the week off.
These are options to consider when developing a policy. For today's requests, establish what your existing policy and agreements allow. If they give no clear answer, take advice on the case, tell both employees when they can expect a response and keep the requests marked as pending. Record how the decision was reached, then address the policy gap for future requests.
Explain what prevented the request
Someone whose request is refused needs a reason they can understand. For a hypothetical request that fails a known counter-cover rule, an explanation might be:
We need someone on the counter on Friday afternoon. With Bea's leave already approved, approving yours would leave it uncovered. I have checked whether Dan can cover, but he is not trained for that job. I can check another date with you if you have any flexibility.
The explanation identifies the work, the existing commitment and the alternative checked. It gives the employee something specific to discuss if you have missed an available option. Keep private details about colleagues out of that conversation.
Already-approved leave changes the situation. A later request is not a reason to treat the earlier approval as provisional. Cancelling leave raises separate notice and contractual questions; check the Acas guidance and GOV.UK rules on booking time off before taking action. Employers must also allow workers to take their holiday entitlement, even where particular dates cannot be agreed. This is general guidance for UK businesses; get advice on a disputed case.
Keep the decision usable for the next request
Record the requested dates, whether they are pending or approved, the cover checked and the reason for the outcome. Where approval depends on someone changing a shift, record that arrangement too. Another manager should be able to see what has been agreed without reconstructing the conversation.
The decisions also tell you whether your staffing arrangements need attention. If the same employee is repeatedly refused leave because nobody else can do their job, consider training another colleague or arranging additional cover. Changing the way requests are recorded will not, by itself, resolve that shortage.
Clear records and specific cover rules give the next applicant a more predictable answer. They also let you distinguish an ordinary request that fits the rules from one that needs a closer look.