Stress Free Christmas Break in Perth
As a business owner, it’s important that you take time away from work to relax, recharge the batteries and enjoy time with your loved ones. However, when you run your own business this can be easier said than done! At the end of the day you are still responsible for how your business performs, so you can find yourself worrying about whether staff are meeting deadlines and suppliers are happy, which unfortunately translates to more stress and less time enjoying the festivities.
With a little planning and careful communication with staff, you can avoid worrying that your business won’t be able to cope in your absence.
Plan ahead to minimise potential issues
Before you go away it’s a good idea to back up all your important data and store it in a secure place off site. It also makes sense to take this one step further and check that you can restore your data from your back up.
Arrange for someone responsible to keep an eye on your business premises. Alternatively, install security monitoring systems if you haven’t already.
It’s also a good idea to ensure you have appropriate insurance cover in place and that your policies haven’t lapsed.
Trusting your staff is a great way to empower them
Leaving your staff to run your business in your absence involves a lot of trust and faith, but if everyone is clear about what is expected of them, it is highly likely that they’ll manage just fine without you.
Delegating and putting good systems in place are key factors. You should:
- Plan for contingencies. What should be done if any staff fall ill? Who should be contacted if there are any unexpected calamities?
- Discuss these issues and any concerns with your staff.
- Inform your staff of your expectations. This is critical as you’ll be relying on them while you are away.
- Make sure everyone is familiar with the contingency plans – discuss, revise and practise them before your departure.
Set clear expectations
While you are away other staff members will have the opportunity to prove their worth, so be sure they know their responsibilities. You should also establish who will contact you and how often (do you just want to be contacted if there is a problem?).
Check in remotely
If you’re not able to let go entirely, then advances in technology mean that you can work remotely and manage things from a distance – perhaps even from the beach! All you need is the ability to communicate via wireless or wired access to the Internet, plus a good mobile connection.
If you need to buy new technology for this purpose, don’t leave the purchase until the last minute. You’ll want to be comfortable with the gadgets you are using and have the opportunity to set them up, test them thoroughly and know what they can do.
Ideally, you’ll have the ability to access and review business documents and ongoing project work through a server-based system that stores all company data centrally or in the cloud.
Comments are now closed for this article.