You?re getting ready for your summer vacation but you?re worrying about the state of the office while you are gone. Fret no more. There are ways to ensure the workplace will run smoothly even in your absence.
If you have surrounded yourself with a capable staff that works well together, there should be no major problems during your holiday. ?One of the key ways to judge a manager is how the team performs when he or she is not there, especially if they are ?suddenly removed? by a medical or family emergency, for example,? explains training and management consultant Gordon Veniard founder of thevenworks and author of Exactly What Kind of Boss Are You? ?Poor managers try to make themselves indispensable by not training or developing their team.?
Once you have prepped your team, you have to be able to let go and allow them to do their job?and jobs while you are away. ?Trust is the key ingredient to having an enjoyable vacation and allowing the office to operate in your absence,? notes Ed McMasters, director of marketing and communications of graphic design firm Flottman Company, Inc.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Talk to your staff and co-workers. Get them up-to-date on the various projects and then outline what you expect to be accomplished before you leave. Follow-up with emails with all the details of your conversation. ?Provide procedural guidelines and reassert the departmental goals – having the team focused on the prize will enable them to stay the course in your absence,? explains McMasters.
?
Have An Open Door
Be available before you leave to answer any questions the staff may have about the protocol in your abscene, or about clients and projects.
Stay In Touch
While some people like to turn off the cell phone and stop checking emails, it is best to have set times that you will check in with the office.
?
Welcome Back
When you get back into the office following a stress-free vacation, make sure to thank your team. ?An important part of your vacation is praise when you return. Thank and praise team members when you return and don’t make them feel horrible for anything that happened during your absence. This will enable your team to feel confident while you are gone,? says McMasters. ?You certainly do not want them to be scared or fearful that what they do while you are gone will haunt them.?
