Office Tips: How to prepare for employee vacations

Vacation

We’re only a few days away from August, which means its getting to be crunch time for employees to take vacation while the sun is shining and the kids are out of school. Hopefully everyone has booked in advance and you know who will be in and out of the office and when and now they’re working away to be prepared for their time off. Here are a few things you should ask every worker to do before they head off on vacation:

 

Spread the word

Ask employees to ensure that all the necessary managers and team members are aware of their absence and that they are up-to-date on what’s happening with a project or account. A shared document with project statuses and updates is a great way to keep everyone in the loop and make sure information is provided to the people who need it.

 

Update everything

Employees should make sure that all of their work is up-to-date – meaning notes on calls with clients are recorded, documents are filed properly, completed projects are marked as such if your office uses a CRM or other project tracking system and that voicemails and out-of-office reminders reflect absences and who should be contacted alternatively. Calendars should also be updated to reflect the absence and note any events that should take place during it.

Meet with managers / team leaders

Regular meetings between employees and managers are essential to making a business run smoothly all year long, but become especially important when absences are coming up. Managers should sit down face-to-face with workers before their vacation to find out what is going on with each assignment and what can be expected on it during the employee’s time away. This will also provide a great opportunity to make sure any missing components are accounted for or completed prior to leaving.

 

Have coverage

If another employee is able to take on the absent employee’s tasks while they are gone, the vacationer should ensure that his or her backup knows all the processes to keep a project going. This is another great use for a shared document that outlines each job that should be completed and if necessary, how to do it.

 

Clean up

We’ve discussed before how an organized office can increase productivity. After a vacation it can sometimes be hard for an employee to feel as energized and motivated as before. If they clean their workspace before they leave, it will feel more inviting and easier to come back to. It will also help ensure that important documents can be found easily by others and that things left during the absence such as mail will be organized and found upon their return.

 

It’s easier for employees to enjoy their vacation and return feeling refreshed if they don’t have to think about work while they’re gone.  By having them run through these simple tasks, you can help them enjoy their time away and come back ready to hit the ground running! Your office equipment can help ease workloads during absences by offering shared storage space, workflow processing and off-site access, among other great features to help run your business. Download our buyer’s guid to see how Office Automation can help your business year-round!

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