The kids will be out of school any day now and thoughts generally turn to golf and the lake. It’s natural to want to kick back this time of year — our summer season is so short.
Over the past few years, surveys indicate that up to 30 per cent of employed Canadians do not take all their allotted holidays, or even none at all.
Taking a break from work is important. It helps eliminate job burnout and provides much needed time to recharge and rejuvenate. Statistics show that taking time away from work decreases sick time and increases health and wellness.
People often return with renewed optimism and fresh ideas, which leads to improved productivity.
Summer is high season for some businesses. Operations have geared up and so have your expectations. You are not thinking about taking a break, but the rest of population is.
So how do you take advantage of summer while still taking care of business?
Small businesses tend to have fewer employees, which creates challenges as to who will be on hand to do the work and service customers during vacation. In some cases, it may even make it difficult to keep the doors open.
You must be ready to keep your business active, while allowing for both yourself and your staff to have their planned vacations.
I say “planned” because too many times I’ve seen staff make up their own vacation times and then inform the owner at the last moment. It is only fair that reasonable vacation requests be granted, provided they are determined ahead of time.
Have a calendar posted with vacations listed, so people can see the big picture and schedule more judiciously.
Cross-train your team so that they can fill in for each other.
Identify and negotiate priorities. This is when systems are essential. Key roles and processes can be shared and followed with minimal disruption to business.
Depending on your business, it may be possible to compress the work day by one to two hours. Close over the noon hour; close early on Fridays; work mornings and wrap things up by 1 p.m. If your business slows down in the summer, a viable option may be to close on Fridays, giving everyone a long weekend.
These options let you keep open for business with minimal impact to your customers. Set goals with your team; everybody works so everybody plays.
The summer mindset can create other issues. Things tend to operate at a slower pace and staff can be more distracted. Set the example. Reinforce an appropriate summer dress code. Post weekly and quarterly goals in a staff lunchroom or a private area not accessible by the public.
If a summer schedule is implemented, be sure to keep posted business hours. If you let things slide, the entire workplace will follow suit.
Respect other people’s time. If necessary, book fewer appointments, but make sure you’re on time and honour deadlines.
As the owner/manager, you must have confidence that things will be handled while you are away. Assign specific people to handle your roles. Communicate your expectations on what the priorities are and review customer service standards.
It is important to use this opportunity to stress-test your business. This is the time to see how your systems work, which team members step up and generally how your business operates in your absence.
It provides opportunities for staff to take on more responsibility, which builds trust and creates better teams.
Technology makes it very easy to stay connected. Be clear on when and how people are to contact you. Do not constantly check in. That defeats the purpose of getting away from it all.
It is more challenging, but equally important, for the single entrepreneur to have a holiday. Let your clients know at the beginning of the relationship that there will be times that you are unavailable, and clearly lay out how they will be handled. Give them a schedule of your vacation dates well in advance.
Checking your Blackberry 20 times a day is not the way to relax and recharge. If you must stay connected, shut devices off and check in once a day at a predetermined time that your clients are aware of.
Accept there may be lost opportunities. Remember that the goal is to take a break.
Tap into the summer slowdown by offering a client appreciation day or barbecue. There may be other ways to make summer time work to your advantage, like special deals and delivery incentives.
Take advantage of the slow time to review performance and generate new ideas. Review policies and procedures and examine financials (cash flow) more carefully.
This is also the ideal time to do long-range planning for your marketing, and position the business for growth over the next six to 12 months.
Chart your sales, marketing and activity goals to provide the motivation to generate results. Statistics prove that testing and measuring different components of the sales and marketing can increase revenue by at least 10 per cent.
No one wants to think about the upcoming fall season. Before you know it, the kids will be back in class and we’ll be heading into winter. Summer is the last chance to plan your fall campaigns.
Design your marketing now and be ready to go.
ActionCoach is written by John MacKenzie of ActionCoach, which helps small- to medium-sized businesses and other organizations. He can be contacted at johnmackenzie@actioncoach.com or by phone at 403-340-0880.