Weekly dilemma: Annual leave and the 2012 Olympics

This week's dilemma concerns an employer worried about how it will handle holiday requests from staff to attend the 2012 Olympics. 

• Weekly dilemma: Annual leave and the 2012 Olympics "A number of my staff have applied for tickets to the same events at the 2012 Olympics, where the tickets are allocated by a ballot. If one or two staff are off at the same time that won't be a problem. However, if a number of them receive tickets for the same day I am worried that I will be left short. Is there anything I can do now to ensure that this doesn't happen? None of them have yet applied for holiday as they don't know what tickets they might get." 

Also

Frequently asked questions on the scheduling of annual leave:

Can workers take holiday whenever they like?

Can an employer refuse holiday requests during a particular period?

Can an employer require its employees to take holiday at a particular time?