It’s officially fall! You’ve survived summer vacation, and everyone in the office is feeling refreshed and ready to refocus and be productive. Finally.
Don’t get too comfortable in what seems like the luxury of a fully staffed team. It’s time to look ahead and start planning for this year’s holiday absences. December is just a few months away, and you’re employees are likely already thinking about their plans to travel, or entertain, and what they will need as far as time off of work.
Here are a few things you can do now, to help make managing the holiday absences much easier on yourself and your team:
Consider last year’s absences. If you’ve already seen your organization or team through a holiday season, take some time to review what worked, and what didn’t last year. How many people requested what time off? Was the rest of the team able to easily manage the additional workload? Did your customers suffer? Make a plan that will help you avoid last year’s mistakes, if there were any.
Share vacation plans with staff. Let your staff know what gaps will need to be filled, well in advance. Consider sharing a calendar highlighting time off. It doesn’t have to include names or specific plans, but will help your team to make or adjust personal plans, well in advance.
Cover all tasks. Is it really a “vacation” if your employees must return to a pileup of work? It may seem like a large undertaking to redistribute the workload, but if you start now, you have time to train backups on the tasks that can be handled while others on vacation.
Be flexible. Plans may change. Do your best to plan for the unexpected.
Plan in office holiday cheer! Sure, the staff that might not be taking time off during the holidays are likely quite focused on the tasks at hand, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little bit of fun. While you’re planning for staff absences, be sure to plan for a little bit of extra gratitude towards those who are holding down the fort.
Get support. Are there tasks that we can help you with here at Select Call Centre? We offer a variety of personalized support functions for businesses just like yours. If your plan is showing that you might need some additional help, please consider working with us! We can help you alleviate stress on your team and your business overall without having to hire and train additional staff.
Request a free quote today!
