Slow Season Scheduling: How to Cut Hours Fairly After the Holidays
Quick Answer
To cut hours fairly in the slow season, forecast demand for January and February, set a labor target, then reduce hours in a clear order: release seasonal staff, offer voluntary time off and reduced schedules, trim shifts at the slowest times and spread remaining reductions fairly using written rules. Use quiet weeks for training, deep cleaning and projects, tell employees early what to expect and check state rules on reporting time pay and changes to salaried pay.
For many businesses, January hits like a brake. Holiday sales stop, customers stay home and the schedule that fit December suddenly has too many people on it. Cutting hours is often necessary, but how you do it matters. Cut carelessly and your best employees find new jobs before spring; cut fairly and clearly, and they stay through the slow weeks.
This guide explains how to plan slow season schedules, decide who gets fewer hours and keep your team ready for the busy season, with a free slow season schedule plan.
Step 1: Forecast the Slow Season
Look at last year's sales, customer counts or job volume for January through March, week by week. Note how deep the drop was and when business started to recover. Adjust for anything different this year, such as new services, promotions or a change in hours.
| Week | Last year sales | Forecast | Labor hours last year | Target labor hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan wk 1 | ||||
| Jan wk 2 | ||||
| Jan wk 3 | ||||
| Jan wk 4 | ||||
| Feb wk 1 |
Step 2: Set a Labor Target
Turn the forecast into labor hours using a target like sales per labor hour or labor cost percentage. That gives you a clear number of hours to schedule each week instead of guessing. See sales per labor hour and labor cost percentage.
Example: Forecast January weekly sales of $18,000 with a $60 SPLH target. $18,000 ÷ $60 = 300 labor hours per week, down from 420 in December.
Step 3: Keep the Minimum
Even in slow weeks, you need enough people to open safely, cover key roles and serve the customers who do come in. Check every reduced schedule against your minimum staffing levels. See minimum staffing levels.
Free Slow Season Schedule Plan
Slow Season Schedule Plan
Period: ______ to ______ | Weekly hour target: ______ | Prepared by: __________
| Employee | Status | Busy season hours | Requested slow season hours | Planned hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time / part-time / seasonal | |||||
| Total |
| Reduction step | Hours saved per week | Done? |
|---|---|---|
| End seasonal assignments | ☐ | |
| Voluntary reduced hours and time off | ☐ | |
| Trim slowest shifts | ☐ | |
| Spread remaining cuts by written rules | ☐ |
Step 4: Reduce Hours in a Fair Order
- End seasonal assignments as planned.
- Ask for volunteers. Some employees want time off after the holidays or fewer hours for school or family.
- Encourage PTO use during slow weeks, where your policy allows.
- Trim the slowest hours, such as late evenings or early mornings, instead of whole shifts.
- Spread remaining cuts using written rules, so no one is singled out.
Rules for Who Loses Hours
| Approach | How it works | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Equal percentage | Everyone's hours drop by the same share | Simple and feels fair |
| Volunteers first | Those who want fewer hours go first | Respects preferences |
| Part-time before full-time | Protect full-time employees' hours | Watch benefits eligibility thresholds |
| Skills and coverage | Keep people with needed skills | Requires clear skill records |
| Seniority | Longer-tenured employees keep more hours | Common, but can push out newer talent |
Whatever approach you choose, write it down and apply it consistently. Hours cuts that look like favoritism, or that fall heavily on one group of employees, can damage morale and create legal risk.
Shorter Shifts Instead of Fewer People
Instead of dropping people from the schedule entirely, consider shorter shifts or staggered starts. A team that works 6-hour shifts instead of 8 keeps everyone earning and keeps skills on the team, while matching labor to slower demand. Check any state or local rules on minimum shift length or reporting time pay before shortening shifts. See reporting time pay by state.
Use Slow Weeks Productively
- Cross-train employees on new roles and skills.
- Deep clean, organize and do maintenance.
- Update SOPs, checklists and training materials.
- Run inventory counts and equipment checks.
- Plan and prepare for the busy season.
Productive slow-season work can justify keeping some hours on the schedule and leaves you better prepared for spring. See cross-training employees.
Salaried Employees
Reducing hours for salaried exempt employees is different from cutting hourly schedules. Exempt status generally depends on paying a predetermined salary that isn't reduced because of the quantity of work, with limited exceptions. If you're considering salary reductions, make changes prospectively and check federal and state salary thresholds and rules with your payroll provider or an employment attorney. See what is a non-exempt worker.
Benefits and Hour Thresholds
Some benefits depend on hours worked, such as health insurance eligibility, retirement plan eligibility or PTO accrual. Before cutting hours, check whether reductions affect benefit eligibility, and tell employees if they do. Talk with your benefits provider about measurement periods and eligibility rules.
Communicating Hour Cuts
- Tell employees early, ideally before the holidays end.
- Explain why: the drop in demand, not individual performance.
- Share the rules you used to decide.
- Give each person their expected hours for the next several weeks.
- Explain when you expect hours to recover.
- Invite questions and requests for more or fewer hours.
Sample message: As every year, business slows down after the holidays. To match our schedule to customer demand from [date] to [date], we'll be reducing total hours. We're ending seasonal assignments first and asking for anyone who wants fewer hours or time off. After that, we'll reduce hours [equally / using our posted rules]. You'll receive your expected hours by [date]. We expect hours to increase again in [month].
Keeping Good Employees Through the Slow Season
Losing a trained employee in February often costs more than paying for a few extra hours. Protect hours for key people where you can, offer cross-training or project work, let employees pick up shifts at other locations and keep them informed about when busier times will return. Employees who feel treated fairly are much more likely to stay. See scheduling across multiple locations.
Example: A Garden Center
A garden center dropped from 600 weekly hours in spring to about 250 in January. In past years, the owner cut hours unevenly and lost several experienced employees each winter. This year, she ended seasonal roles in December, asked for volunteers to take reduced hours, cut evening hours when the store was empty and used remaining hours for inventory, greenhouse repairs and staff training. She shared expected hours for January through March and the date spring hiring would start. All of her full-time staff stayed for the busy season.
Common Mistakes
- Cutting without a forecast.
- Cutting the same people every year without clear rules.
- Dropping below minimum staffing.
- Surprise cuts with no notice.
- Ignoring benefit eligibility.
- Losing key employees to save a few hours.
Slow Season Scheduling Checklist
| Step | Done? |
|---|---|
| Forecast slow season demand by week | |
| Set weekly labor hour targets | |
| Check minimum staffing | |
| End seasonal assignments | |
| Ask for volunteers | |
| Apply written rules for remaining cuts | |
| Plan productive slow-week work | |
| Communicate early |
Slow Season Scheduling by Industry
| Industry | Typical slow period | Common approach |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | January–February | End seasonal roles, trim evening hours, inventory and resets |
| Restaurants | January, after New Year's | Shorter lunch shifts, close on slowest days, menu and kitchen projects |
| Landscaping | Winter | Snow removal, equipment repair, reduced crews |
| Hotels | Varies by location | Fewer room attendants, deep cleaning, staff training |
| Tax and accounting | May–December (after tax season) | Reduced schedules, training, planning |
Offering Voluntary Time Off
Voluntary time off, sometimes called VTO, lets employees choose to take unpaid or paid time off when demand is low. Post VTO opportunities in advance, offer them fairly and track who takes them. Many employees welcome extra days off after the holidays, and every volunteer means fewer forced cuts for others.
Sample VTO notice: Business is slower than usual on [dates]. If you'd like to take [unpaid time off / PTO] on any of these days, please sign up by [date]. Requests will be approved in the order received until we reach our minimum staffing for each shift.
Using PTO During the Slow Season
Slow weeks are a good time for employees to use PTO. Encourage it, and plan big projects and training around approved time off. Some businesses require PTO use during planned closures; if you do, put it in your policy and check your state's rules first. See whether an employer can require PTO use.
Temporary Closures and Shorter Hours
If some days or hours bring in almost no business, it may make sense to close or shorten hours rather than spread thin schedules across the whole week. Look at sales by hour and day to decide, announce changes to customers in advance and update your online hours. See how to make a work schedule.
Tracking Results Week by Week
Compare scheduled hours, actual hours and sales each week of the slow season. If sales recover earlier than forecast, add hours back quickly. If they stay lower, adjust the plan. Keeping employees informed about the numbers helps them understand the cuts and see when hours will grow again.
Common Questions From Employees
- "Why are my hours being cut?" Customer demand drops after the holidays; cuts follow written rules, not performance.
- "Can I pick up hours elsewhere?" Ask about open shifts at other locations or project work.
- "Will my benefits change?" Check with your manager; some benefits depend on hours.
- "When will hours come back?" Based on last year, around [month].
Slow Season Quick Reference
| Step | Tip |
|---|---|
| Forecast | Use last year's weekly data |
| Target | Labor hours from SPLH or labor cost % |
| Order of cuts | Seasonal, volunteers, slow hours, then rules |
| Shifts | Shorter shifts before fewer people |
| Projects | Training, cleaning, SOPs, inventory |
| Communication | Early, with expected hours and recovery date |
Planning Next Year's Busy Season During the Slow Season
Slow weeks are the best time to prepare for the next rush. Review what went wrong during the last busy season, update schedules and staffing targets, plan hiring timelines, fix equipment and refresh training. Owners and managers who use January to plan for spring avoid scrambling when demand returns. See seasonal hiring guide.
Example: A Fitness Studio
Interestingly, some businesses are busiest in January. A fitness studio sees a rush of New Year sign-ups, then a slowdown by March. The studio manager schedules extra front desk coverage and more classes in January, then plans the spring slowdown in advance: fewer midday classes, cross-trained instructors covering front desk and a fair rotation for the remaining prime-time classes. Planning both the peak and the dip keeps instructors and staff from being surprised.
Getting Started This Week
- Pull last year's sales and labor hours for January through March.
- Set weekly labor hour targets.
- List seasonal end dates and ask for volunteers.
- Draft the slow season plan for each employee.
- Tell employees what to expect before the holidays end.
Sharing Hours Across Locations or Departments
If one location or department slows down while another stays busy, move hours instead of cutting them. Cross-trained employees can cover shifts at a busier location, help with inventory in the warehouse or support the office during year-end work. Moving hours keeps employees earning and makes better use of the people you've already trained. Check travel time and overtime when employees work in more than one place.
Measuring Whether the Plan Worked
At the end of the slow season, compare actual labor hours and labor cost with your targets, check how many employees left during the slow months and ask managers what they'd change. If turnover was low and labor stayed close to target, keep the approach. If key people left, look at whether cuts fell too heavily on them or whether communication came too late. Use what you learn to plan next year's slow season earlier and more accurately.
Slow Season Hours for Shift Leads and Key Staff
Shift leads, openers and closers carry knowledge you can't easily replace. Protect a minimum number of hours for these roles where possible, and give them meaningful projects during quiet weeks, such as training newer employees or updating checklists. Losing a trained lead in February often means a rough spring.
A fair plan, shared early, is often the reason good people stay through the quiet months. Revisit it each year as your business grows.
Track which approaches worked best so next year's plan starts from real results rather than guesses.
Small adjustments each year add up.
Keep notes on what each week taught you.
They make next year easier.
Final Thoughts
The slow season doesn't have to cost you your best people. Forecast demand, set a labor target, keep minimum staffing, reduce hours in a clear and fair order and use quiet weeks for training and projects. Tell employees early what to expect and when hours will return, and you'll head into the busy season with a trained, loyal team.
Plan Slow Season Schedules With Updoot
Updoot's scheduling lets you build reduced schedules from your targets and offer open shifts fairly, and the payroll report shows weekly hours so you can compare labor with sales.