Too busy for a vacation? For those who own a small business, vacations are imperative to avoid decreased productivity, increased stress and burnout.
With more than two decades of experience, Denise Noble, PHR (Professional in Human Resources), founder and senior HR Consultant at The HR Engineers, providers of human resource consulting and services for smaller businesses throughout New England, outlines the steps small business owners should take to ensure all goes smoothly while they are away.
“Many small business owners have already experienced, or are at risk for ‘burnout’,” explained Noble. “Burnout can occur when a person has too much work and not enough time to do it. Burnout can also occur when a lot of time gets spent ‘putting out fires’ in repeated crisis mode rather than concentrating on main objectives.”
Tell employees in advance and delegate – Small business owners should let employees know when they’re going on vacation, and draw up a plan for delegating. Review expectations, back-up plans, worse case scenarios and contingency plans.
Potential problems and resolutions– Make a list with solutions to problems and the specific steps that employees need to take to handle them.
Identify who is in charge– Be sure to identify the “go to” person for daily operations and troubleshooting. Have your employees take on more responsibility at least a month before you leave so they can get the feel of what is expected of them.
Have Coaching and Training programs in place– Coaching and training programs ensure that employees are trained to handle any emergency that may come up at any time. Having the programs already in place will help to keep manager and employee skills sharp, honed and on point. If the business already has an Employee Handbook, then employees can refer to it in a small business owner’s absence as it serves as a guidebook for many company policies and procedures.
Inform clients – Small business owners should inform their clients that they will be going on vacation and when they will return. Reassure clients that they will be in capable hands while the owner is on vacation and may expect the same quality and level of work. Small business owners should also inform clients of who will be handling their account and that if an emergency arises, the staff has the ability to contact the owner.
“Small business owners really need to make vacation a priority and start preparing their staff for departure the moment their plans are in place,” noted Noble.
For assistance in readying your company for your vacation, developing an Employee Handbook or Coaching and Training programs, contact The HR Engineers at 508-785-4950. Remember to ask about their complimentary HR review.
About The HR Engineers
The HR Engineers provide outsourced HR services to businesses with 50 or fewer employees throughout Eastern Massachusetts. Founded by Denise Noble, PHR, who has more than 20 years of human resources, accounting and business management experience, The HR Engineers provide tailored solutions to help grow and protect small businesses. From the development of Employee Handbooks, Policies and Procedures to solutions for Optimizing Employee Engagement, Management Coaching, Labor Law, Compliance and more, The HR Engineers provide expert HR solutions to meet a small business’ needs and budget. In-person consultations are offered to companies within a 50-mile radius of their office in Franklin, MA. For more information contact 508-785-4950 or visit thehrengineers.com.
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