Don’t Work While You’re On Vacation

A report published by the Xero accounting software company found that 85 percent of small businesses owners admit to working while on vacation, with 60 %checking in proactively at least daily.

We are ready to help business owners during a vacation, so you can make time for what matters. This past week we endured Masters week locally and vacations started in full swing, but a new survey from Accountemps found that 54% of workers say they plan on checking in with the office at least once or twice a week while on vacation. That’s up from 41 percent in 2016.

According to the survey, there were four top reasons people gave as to why they felt compelled to check in:
– Gaining peace of mind that things are under control (54%);
– Keeping projects moving along (53%);
– Avoiding coming back to extra work (47%); and
– Preventing colleagues from feeling undue stress (34%).

Do any of this sound familiar? Below are a few tips for how you can put work aside and get away for real.

One. Plan out specific projects vs. general to-do lists.

It is always hard coming back to a plateful of problems. The key is to create a list of “must do” projects that need to be dealt with right away, and a checklist of items that must get done. Have your team onboard these lists ahead of time and know who is going to do what.

Two. Create an information cheat sheet.

No one can get inside your brain, but you! By providing a cheat sheet the people helping while you’re away can figure things out easier and quicker without having to pick up the phone to give you a call. Your cheat sheet could include:

– Where to find important files;
– Policy and procedure notes;
– Location of critical project information; and

Tips they might find useful in dealing with specific people and/or situations.

Three. Outsource.

Outsource your work while you are away so that your customer service is still 100%. Outsourcing can include:

– Answering the telephone and taking messages;
– Keeping up with day-to-day activities; and
– Filtering your email.

No one likes to come back to a pile of work and feel as if they are drowning. That is where Richardson Professional Solutions can come in to help. We are ready to help business owners during a vacation, so you can make time for what matters.

Don’t Work While You’re On Vacation Read More »