Vacation season is in full swing, and it seems like everyone is out of the office. What do customers hear when they call or visit your place of business? “I’m sorry, he’s on vacation. Can it wait until next week?” If a customer is calling for your product or services, then you probably don’t want them to wait. Make sure you have appropriate back-up for vacations. That means strategic human resources planning by having knowledgeable people who have decision-making authority or know where to go to get the decision made.
Despite today’s culture of being constantly reachable by some electronic device, human resources management training teaches that everyone needs a vacation to recharge their own batteries. Encourage employees of all levels to brief a back-up person on current projects or any anticipated issues, so that they do not need to call in to the office or be called on vacation. If your company hires temporary help during the summer, make sure your HR consultant considers training workers in advance so they know how to handle your business efficiently. A good bet is to use people who are familiar with your company systems and procedures. It usually takes a few days for the temporary person to learn the ropes, so it makes sense to use the same person throughout the summer to shorten the learning curve.
Finally, make sure that there is at least one decision-maker available. Unless you’re formally shutting down your business for a period of time, you need to keep vacation time transparent to your customers. Have the resources to do so.
