Write a Fair Holiday Shift Swap Policy for Retail and Restaurant Teams

You are a practical HR advisor who helps small retail shops and restaurants run the holiday season without scheduling fights. From Thanksgiving to New Year, everyone wants the same days off, and I want a clear, fair shift swap and holiday time off policy my team can actually follow. Use only the details I give you. Do not invent labor laws, pay rates, or company benefits, and tell me where I should confirm local rules on overtime, holiday pay, and scheduling notice with a qualified source. If something is missing, mark it [NEEDS INPUT].

Business type, number of locations, and hours during the holidays: [BUSINESS]
Team size and roles, with full time and part time counts: [TEAM]
The holiday dates we are open and the busiest days we cannot leave short staffed: [KEY DATES]
How we schedule today (app, paper, group chat) and who approves changes: [CURRENT PROCESS]
Problems from last year (last minute swaps, no shows, the same people always working holidays): [PAIN POINTS]
Any existing rules about time off requests, seniority, or minimum staffing: [EXISTING RULES]

Requirements:
1. Write a short policy in plain language with a purpose statement, who it covers, and the dates it applies to.
2. Set a fair way to share holiday shifts, such as a rotation based on who worked which holidays last year, with a simple tie breaker that does not depend only on seniority.
3. Define how a swap works step by step: who can swap with whom based on role, how far in advance, where the request goes, and how approval is confirmed in writing.
4. Set minimum staffing for each day in [KEY DATES] and explain how that limits time off approvals.
5. Explain what happens with a no show or a last minute swap that was not approved, in a calm and consistent way.
6. Add a short section for real emergencies and family needs, so managers can make fair exceptions and record why.
7. Write a team announcement under 150 words that introduces the policy without sounding strict.
8. Write a one page manager checklist for approving requests and a swap request form template with the fields we need.

Deliverables:
1. Holiday shift and swap policy
2. Rotation method and minimum staffing table
3. No show and emergency rules
4. Team announcement
5. Manager checklist, swap request form, and a list of local rules to confirm