Can call all you want but there's no one home

We, as adults, spend most of our lives working.

Earning money is often a means to an end – paying bills, buying clothes, and purchasing food.  And, if there’s a little leftover, then we can have luxuries such as going on holiday.

A holiday is a time to relax; to get away from it all.

Whether you are an employer or an employee, those few days of holiday are precious.

Urgent means urgent

I am currently on holiday (this blog was written just before I left) – my wife and I are in Greece – and, being a business owner, my priority is ensuring that my clients are looked after in my absence, but also aware that I am only contactable in urgent cases.

Thankfully, my clients know that urgent means urgent and that I am not taking my laptop.  This means I won’t get the urge to check my emails or, even worse, respond to them!

I am in a great position knowing that my team can handle things in my absence, or at the very least, be the first port of call for any issues that the clients may have.  In addition, they almost act as gatekeepers knowing that they will have limited access to me, expect in the most extreme of cases.

Clients are able to go on holiday and not be disturbed, and given that I only work with people with the same values then I know they will return the courtesy.

Things can only get better

This holiday can’t be as bad as my previous holiday which was a cruise around Europe (see my previous blog titled ‘You plus me, what a ride’) where I was unfortunately dragged into a number of client issues that only I could deal with.  I’m looking forward to being much more relaxed this time.

As an employer, it is critical that your team get suitable time allocated to them so they can take a break – whether they stay at home or go on holiday, the important thing is that they have time away from work.

When I work on Workplace Culture projects with clients, we go through a number of things, and one of them involves ensuring that employees have their entitled time off while maintaining smooth operations within the organisation.

Your people are your biggest asset

I always say that your people are your biggest asset, but I would also say that no one individual is bigger than the organisation – i.e. your business shouldn’t be relying on any one person, as it will be heavily affected should that person be off work.

Having a happy and refreshed workforce can do wonders for your business, and happy employees are often the most productive.  Time off work can help them to relax and recharge, often leading to improved health (and correlating with increased job satisfaction).  Engaged employees are more committed to their work and the success of the company.

Other benefits include employee retention, increased morale, a healthier team (as holidays can often reduce stress), and a better work/life balance.

The bottom line

As an employer, do you think that your team taking holidays is a good thing for your business,or an unnecessary distraction from the job at hand?  If your answer is the latter, then we need to talk – do not hesitate to get in touch for an informal chat about how we can positively impact your bottom line with a few simple changes.

P.S. the title of this blog is a lyric from Lady Gaga’s song ‘Telephone’.

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