Smart Time Management
Use vacation downtime wisely. Schedule computer upgrades, inventories, furniture replacements, and maintenance work to be accomplished in coordination with absences in other departments. This will prevent losses in production during normal operating schedules.
Master the Message
Ensure that staff members update their voice and email messages before going on holidays. Customers will think that they simply aren’t returning their calls if the standard message is heard, or that they aren’t replying to their email if an automated response message isn’t received.Make sure that important information is included in the message. Telling callers who to contact will be helpful to customers needing assistance while your staff member is away. (As a customer, simply knowing that the person you called is on vacation or holidays isn't enough.) Make sure internal and external customers have the information they need.
Assign Ownership
It's important to associate specific tasks with specific people before holidays are taken. If something has to get done, you need to ensure that someone is tasked to do it. Too often, a laundry list of items, that has to get done during an absence, doesn't, because no owner is officially assigned to the tasks.
Communicate Clearly
Effective communication is essential to every piece of information in this article. Communicate well with both internal and external customers prior to, during, and after the holiday period. Develop a plan of attack and communicate it clearly with those that need to know. Anyone affected by a person's absence from the office should be in on the process from beginning to end.
Hocus Focus
You have a fantastic opportunity to motivate your team prior to and after their holidays. There are also challenges. Before a team member goes on holiday, it is important to help keep her focused on the job at hand. Very often, people anticipating an upcoming holiday will mentally be on the island long before arriving at the airport.Ensure that you use that energy of holiday excitement to your advantage and channel it effectively. Similarly, when a team member returns from holiday, she might still be far away mentally. Ensure that you re-direct her focus when she returns. This can be done easily by having pre-holiday and post-holiday motivational meetings with your team member.
