The holiday is here again and employees are eager to go on vacation before the year ends. Many small business employers are trying to keep staffs around during this holiday season without the employees resentment.
Some experts were asked on how to have employees around during this season. Below are the points these experts have made.
Put your vacation policy in writing:
Though this advise is late for this year, but can be used in the coming year. “A clear vacation policy can help avoid confusion,” says David A. Weiman. Employers should make sure that all new employees should go through the vacation policy and understands it well.
Have employees schedule time off early:
“It’s inevitable that staff will ask to take the same days off, and since you can’t ask employees not to take those days off, it’s your responsibility to start planning ahead,” says Tom Gimbel. Make sure your staffs their vacation dates for the entire year once the year begins (January). After the submission check to see if their is any conflict, try to make sure not all staff in a particular department will be off at the same time. “See if employees can figure out among themselves a way to ensure the desired level of coverage,” Weiman suggests.
Make note of annual busy periods:
There are times in the year when the business will need enough hands, these are busy times for the company or organisation. Let all employees be aware of this time well ahead.
Also do not deny your employees some days off to attend important family occasions like weddings, birthdays, or graduations. But ask them to avoid scheduling lengthy vacations during those periods
Offer incentives for working through the holidays:
“Spot bonuses, buying lunch or dinner for the office, a relaxed dress code, and even shorter hours may motivate employees to work over holiday periods,” Weiman says. “They might even surprise you with extra effort.” Be aware, however, that if you’re asking workers to come in on holidays like Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, “you should be the first one in the office on those days,” Gimbel says. Another option is to allow employees to work remotely on those days, if that’s possible.
Communicate well:
“Nothing is more irritating for clients than having an answering machine to deal with when there is a pressing issue,” Gimbel says. He recommends that employees leaving for vacation brief their co-workers on account details before they go. That way, if clients need help, they can still get it. “Though it may seem like extra work to them, at the end of the day you’re making the client’s life easier, which is the end goal. Customer service is king in growing sales.”
Bring on temporary help:
It’s better to have a few employees in the office than none. If you need people to answer the phones, sort through email requests and deal with clients’ problems, you can hire temp workers. If you need professionals to do more substantive work over a week or more, consider professional staffing services that specialize in your industry. Thomas Moran, places 3,000 temps a month, mostly with small and mid-size companies that need IT, finance, accounting and health-care employees for the short term. “It’s easier than you’d think for a professional to get up to speed quickly and be helpful for a crucial week or two, particularly at the end of the year when there are a lot of finance and IT tasks to get done,” he says.
These tips should be of help to most businesses at this time and it will also help them prepare against the coming year for those that can not fully utilize these tips this year .
