Running your Business Whilst Away on Holiday
Why Taking Leave is Important
The role of a company director is essential to help the business run smoothly, however it's also just as important that the director finds time to take that well deserved holiday! It's understandable for a business owner to have fears about stepping away, especially if the business is new and still growing, but with the proper preparation your leave shouldn't impact the company's performance.
Holidays are also a great way to test that the business systems work well while your away, so you should see it as an opportunity and should give you confidence for going away on holidays in the future!
Planning Ahead for Leave
Finding the appropriate time and efficiently planning for these breaks can be a challenge as a company director. There are many things to weigh up about running your business whilst away on holiday, including how to delegate business tasks and informing important clients/stakeholders that would be impacted by your absence.
Creating a plan that takes into account the key functions of running your business, employees schedules and different possibilities that could prevent work, is a good way to prepare for when you go away on leave.
Here are some ideas for ways to prepare before going away on holiday:
- Creating a pre-holiday checklist - this will ensure all the work you need to get done before the break is completed.
- Putting in place an emergency plan - this is a good idea for when things go south!
First point of contact
Remembering to let all relevant people associated with the company know about your absence will help you avoid any miscommunication and problems while away. The following groups of information should be informed of your absence along with the reason.
Company Higher-Ups
Firstly, any higher ups in the company, for example any other company directors, supervisors etc. should be notified of the directors absence due to being away on holiday. This will help them plan their business tasks that they would otherwise need the director for around the holiday.
Stakeholders
It would then be best to give any stakeholders the notice when going away on holiday, for example this could include company's clients, suppliers or employees if you have them. Giving stakeholders clarity that the leave is due to a holiday is important, as you do not want any clients or customers getting the wrong impression.
Please note that you should give any senior members of the company or stakeholders plenty time before the holiday (if possible) so that they are able to make necessary action as soon as they're possible to. This can be communicated via email or in person, if there is a physical office.
Ways to Help the Business Run Smoothly
Budgeting in Advance
As a company director, if you run a smaller business, your holiday absence may impact the company's ability to retain growth. If you're not looking for new clients or building client relationships, this can have an effect on the direct income the company makes, so budgeting effectively in advance will help maintain financial stability. Set aside money that you wish to use for future purchases/ investments after the holiday has ended.
Further to the point on delegating tasks effectively to other company employees, ensuring tasks are covered whilst you are away on holiday will help retain company income.
Avoiding Bigger Contracts
Additionally, it's best not to attempt an increase in workload before you go away on holiday, as this will impact your employees. This may be too much to handle for your employees.
Meeting Company Deadlines and Finishing Work Early
A majorly important thing to consider is meeting all of the company deadlines before a company director goes away on holiday. When running your business, you will have different filing and payment deadlines including filing company accounts and corporation tax returns. If any of these deadlines clash with a holiday, it would be best to ensure that these are all met to remain compliant prior to your holiday. Alternatively, it's a good idea to avoid taking a holiday when the company has deadlines all together, helping to reduce any unnecessary stress.
In addition, if you have set yourself time frames for specific work that needs doing, it may be best to push these deadlines a little earlier to complete the work before going away. This will make it easier when adjusting once you return - keep in mind not to over-work yourself!
Choosing When to Make Contact
Keeping in contact with your company's team is helpful for sorting out any issues whilst away to ensure continuity in running your business. Issues could include technical problems or needing managerial support, however if you want to make the most and recharge contact should be kept to a limit.
If your plan accounts for different negative scenarios, then you won't need to keep up to date or reply immediately. Take the time to recharge, and trust the systems you have in place. Only make time to get in contact if you're informed that it's very necessary to ensure the continuity of running your business.
The Emergency Plan
In worst case scenarios, it's a good idea to organise an emergency plan! The plan should involve clear delegation roles for tasks and an emergency contact list. It would be best to involve yourself as a company director, providing a reachable contact number for when emergency situations arise that require your foresight.
Having a "decision tree" that shows who deals with smaller local issues, who deals with medium issues and who deals with the bigger important issues can be useful, although this would typically be decided within a company already.
Return to Work
You've now finished your holiday, and it's time to return back to the office and get into the swing of things.
Things to do when returning to the office and reviewing the recent progress of the company:
- Organise a couple of meetings to properly catch up with the team and your employees, and review any of the major points (good or bad) that effected the performance of the company.
- Understand what structures didn't work and what did whilst you were away to prepare for the next time you go away on holiday by improving your systems. Getting the perspective of other team members is important too!
- In addition, thanking and acknowledging the team for any extra efforts they had to put in whilst you were away.
Key points to consider for directors taking holiday
- The most important way to prepare for going away on holiday as a company director, it to plan effectively to ensure successful running of your business! The plan should outline who holds what responsibilities and tasks on your absence and how to be contacted in the case of an emergency.
- It's also best to consider taking holiday when there are no outstanding legal obligations or deadlines, for example tax payment or filing deadlines. If the holiday does clash with any deadlines you should ensure that they have all been completed and submitted before leaving.
- Additionally, if you are not able to effectively distribute and delegate all tasks to other employees in the company as a viable option, then a good way to ensure business runs smoothly is to outsource to subcontractors or other companies.
At the end of the day, taking leave is just a good way to test the business can work when your away. It should be treated as an opportunity for the company grow, and if the way you plan and delegate whilst away isn't as effective, this will help you prepare for future holidays.
