The summer holidays are almost upon us. As refreshing as a midyear break might be, for those who own businesses, leaving the desk for more than two days can be stressful. In this edition of Tips from the Experts, we’ve asked business people in leading positions for their advice on how to keep a company running smoothly during periods of leave.
A Marr & Associates – Tom Watts, Head of Content
A Marr & Associates is a PR and marketing agency based in the Brecon Beacons and London, specialising in promoting lifestyle, travel and destinations to the world.
1. Plan ahead
If you want to ensure that the transition from work mode to holiday mode goes as smoothly as possible, make sure you don’t leave things until the last minute. Give yourself at least two to three weeks to start considering exactly what you’re realistically going to be able to accomplish before leaving, as well as creating a checklist of the most pertinent tasks.
2. Delegate tasks
It may be the case that you will have to hand over a number of projects to your colleagues to complete while you’re away. In this instance, make sure you give a full face-to-face briefing about the tasks in question, as well as ensuring they have access to all of the relevant documents and emails. At A Marr & Associates, we use the file sharing software Dropbox to make sure that everyone has easy access to important documents and client images.
3. Detailed handover notes
Document all outstanding workloads, complete with the colleague responsible for each task in your absence and any deadline you may have. If necessary, provide relevant contact details and forward communications to the colleague in charge of that task. We also use Trello, a project organisation and collaboration tool that helps us to prioritise workloads and share tasks with colleagues.
4. A good out of office
Make sure that your out of office message is clear and concise, providing the contact details of colleagues that can be contacted in your absence, as well as a note to say when you’re back at your desk.
5. Let clients know you’re going away
Just because you’re out of the office for two weeks doesn’t mean that your clients have stopped requiring your services. Take the time to contact your clients, let them know that you’re going to be away and that they’ll be able to contact a colleague should they need anything.
onesixeight: fitness – Becky White, Owner
Onesixeight: fitness
is a private studio offering personal training and small group sessions in Loughborough.
1. Set up an ‘out of office’ email responder
If you don’t reply straight away like you usually do, people will get impatient and sometimes angry unless you have an out of office email responder. This way, you are pre-warning contacts that you won’t be replying straight away. I’d also suggest saying you come back a couple of days later than you actually do so that when you do get round to replying you’re actually responding earlier than anticipated!
2. Cover your calls
Have someone in the office answering calls or set up an ‘out of office’ voicemail.
If someone has taken the time to call you instead of emailing then you don’t want to miss out. Make sure someone is answering the phone whilst you’re away or record an ‘out of office’ voicemail message similar to an email responder.
3. Round up neatly
Finish all tasks before you go on holiday so you can come back and not have to play catch up.
Even if it means you have to work into the night, it will be well worth it when you can relax on holiday without having to think about all the work you still have to do when you get back.
4. Plan ahead
Write a schedule of tasks/projects to do when you get back so it’s not so hard getting back into the swing of things. Be prepared for that ‘holiday brain’ fuzziness when you get back by writing a list of tasks to do on your first day back. Don’t expect too much from yourself on that first day – you’ll probably still be dreaming about lying on the beach – but at least you’ll have some simple tasks to focus on and ease you back to the working reality.
5. Schedule online marketing
Consistency is key when it comes to marketing so you don’t want to miss a week or two when it only takes an hour or so to set up some online marketing. Weekly newsletters, blog posts and marketing campaigns can easily be scheduled in advance.
The Training Pack – Glenda Shawley, Owner
The Training Pack helps businesses develop and implement plans to grow by increasing sales to new and existing customers.
1. Prioritise your ‘to do list’
If your ‘to do list’ is anything like mine, it will be never ending. Make things easier by going through your task list and identifying anything that will be a major problem if it’s left undone. Allocate time to get those tasks done or bring in some extra help. Cross off items that are ‘nice to do’ or move them to your ‘Someday I will’. Look at what’s left and ask yourself what would happen if those tasks had to wait until you returned.
2. Conduct a risk assessment
A few days before you go away, check your projects in progress, your ‘to do list’ and any outstanding enquiries. What could possibly blow up whilst you are on holiday? Ring customers and prospects to warn them that you will be away, and what your cover arrangements are.
If you are a solopreneur, consider buying a few hours of support from a virtual assistant to cover your holiday. Leave notes on files and in your diary so that your assistant knows how to deal with issues that do occur in your absence. Let your assistant know how you can be contacted in an emergency and make sure to define what constitutes as an emergency.
3. Plan your visibility strategy
Schedule social media posts, blogs and newsletters to go out while you are away so you maintain your visibility. Take care not to reveal your absence if your home or office will be unoccupied, as criminals monitor social media to identify targets for break-ins.
4. Deal with enquiries
You don’t want to lose any leads while you are away on holiday, so work out how you will deal with enquiries. Could you automate responses to website enquiries? Can you transfer calls and emails to a virtual assistant or a call handling centre? Arrange for someone to check and deal with your post every few days. Try to avoid taking calls and emails yourself – you’ve earned your break.
5. Keep your suppliers happy
Make sure that you pay any outstanding bills before you go away to maintain good relationships with your suppliers.
Meta4 – Clare Whalley
Meta4 gives life and business coaching for those looking to make a positive change in career direction, business start-up and business growth.
1. Think ahead
Get updates on any outstanding opportunities that are bubbling away in the background and make contact with any potential businesses where you think issues are likely to rise whilst you’re away. This will ensure everybody is happy that you’re aware and in control.
2. Enlist a Personal Assistant
If you’re a sole trader, micro or small business owner without PA services, enlist their help! If you don’t know of anyone, peopleperhour is a great place to start. Transferring your emails across to a capable and trusted PA is worth its weight in gold – it will give you complete peace of mind that everything important is being dealt with or at the very least acknowledged, and it ensures you won’t miss any arising opportunities.
3. Stay social
Get your social media up and running in your absence by using one of the many social media scheduling tools: Tweetdeck, Hootsuite etc. It’s easy to set up and will allow your business to maintain its online presence while you’re next to the pool. Follow tip no. 2 and your virtual PA can also be managing any responses so you don’t miss a thing.
4. Plan for your return
Any tasks that need doing in the first couple of days when you return from your holiday should get done before you go away. This will keep your mind stress free whilst enjoying your well deserved break.
5. Leave your phone at home!
This will stop you having sneaky peaks at emails or social media platforms. Simply ask your holiday companion to take theirs for peace of mind. Pack a notebook for jotting down any business type thoughts – this will keep them out of your head and give you the chance to relax.
Thanks to all our contributors for their practical advice. If you’re going on holiday soon, we hope you’ll find these tips useful. Do you have any tips to add? Please let us know in the comments section below.