Summer's here and with it comes the problem for businesses making sure they have enough cover while staff are enjoying their two weeks in the sun, or wherever they like to holiday.

Business Argus has asked local businesses how they cope during the summer months.

Nikki Thomas, HR officer, HardingEvans Solicitors, Newport

We have a clear policy outlining annual leave within the firm. This is available for all members of staff to view on our internal intranet and is used as a starting point for all queries relating to booking and taking annual leave. Our intranet system also allows for complete transparency and at the click of a button staff and line managers can see who is booked off and when. The HR department and line managers work closely to ensure the operational side of the business is never compromised. Leave is usually dealt with on a first come first serve basis, which proves to be the fairest way. However, during particularly busy periods of leave ie summer holidays; we tend to go for the good old fashioned negotiation approach, allowing teams to work it between themselves as to when they take their leave. Our staff are committed to their roles and responsibilities and we find that they adopt a sensible approach to annual leave in any event but inevitably there will be the odd conflict so we encourage staff to get their annual leave requests in early so clashes can be identified and negotiation can take place, and a compromise reached. This has proved to be the most efficient way.

Gerald Davies, executive chairman, Kymin, Newport

We have taken on an additional member of staff. She is spending the summer with us and has been here before. Sometimes we are all away at the same time but only when it is planned. Last Wednesday, for example, we all piled into a minibus and went down to Paignton for the summer outing, followed by a trip to Kingswear on a steam train, then a trip up the River Dart, followed by fish and chips. We finished up on Paignton pier, then home. We do something like this every year to celebrate summer - whether we get one or not. For the rest of the time, we stagger our holidays so we always have enough financial planners and administrators to cope.