Time Away From The Office

It serves nobody well, including clients, for staff to forgo vacations because of workload or over committing. Taking a break from a hectic job or work environment has many more positives than negatives, and it's important to balance personal life with work realities. Preparing the operation to run smoothly while staff is away will allow them the break necessary to come back relaxed, reloaded, and ready for action!

Assign someone as in charge

Make sure someone on staff is given the responsibility and authority to act while the other is away. And make sure to notify other staff members in an official way of the temporary reassignment of responsibilities. There is nothing worse than having a component of an operation without leadership and decision-making capability, even for a short time.

Establish guidelines for decision-making
Parameters must be set for someone else to make decisions while the staff member is away. Clearly define issues that must be brought to the attention of superiors.

A written log of what happens is mandatory

Returning from vacation, the staff member should easily be able to take stock of what transpired while they were away, what decisions were made, and where follow-up is required. Important issues should have been documented and a "paper trail" file established. Each important issue should have been summarized in a brief written chronological recap of events. After reviewing the information, a debriefing session with the appropriate members of staff should be made available to the returning vacationer.

Workers in Italy take 43 days vacation per year on average. Workers in the U.S. take 13 days vacation per year on average.

Let's make the most of them!