Planning Around Adelaide School Holidays
When half your crew books leave and maintenance contracts still expect Friday completions.
South Australia school holidays are predictable. Yet every April and October we meet owners who promised Friday hot water replacements without checking that two fitters booked camping at the same time.
Build a leave wall
Not software — a printed calendar in the smoko room. Each tech marks leave requests in pencil first, pen once approved. Office photographs it before long weekends.
Block capacity two weeks out
If you normally run four maintenance crews, assume 2.5 during the second week of January. Quote longer lead times proactively in December instead of apologising in January.
Contract clients early
Aged care and restaurant clients with SLAs appreciate a heads-up memo: “Reduced capacity 8–19 April, emergency only for refrigeration.” Most prefer honesty to a missed visit.
Subcontractor bench
Identify two trusted subs before you need them. First call during a crisis costs premium rates and quality risk.
Holiday planning is boring until it is not. The businesses that sail through are the ones that treated July dates as full in May — not the ones with the fanciest calendar app.