How to Keep an Office Running Smoothly During "Vacation Season"

Before we know it, the vacation season will be upon us. For most of us, the hot and hazy days of summer are when we take more days off work than any other time of year. There's sun to soak up at the beach, camping trips to take, and outdoor activities to fill up our days. For those with children out of school for the season, there's also often a need for more flexibility in our work schedules. The kids aren't in school all day, and child care providers take summer vacations too.

Summer is a time for living life and being out and about. We should all be able to take some time to laze around the pool with a fruity beverage at some vacation resort, or to delve into summertime fun with the little ones. But the demands in our offices don't necessarily decrease just because the temperatures are soaring and the beach is calling our names.

With a bit of advance planning, you can make sure that your office stays efficient and highly productive while still allowing everyone to take the vacation time they've earned and deserve. The trick is to figure out your operations, your needs, and everyone's vacation plans well before the weather gets warm.

1. Plot it all out

In order to plan for keeping your operation sailing smoothly during the summer months, you'll need to map out three things. Use one calendar or planner. It can be electronic or in paper form, whichever works best for everyone in your operation.

Who Does What?

First, list all the employees in your department and their primary roles and responsibilities. When doing this, it is important to think about more than just their standard job descriptions. Beth's true job description might be "payroll manager." But if Beth's the kind of person who likes to get in the office at 7 a.m. each day, over time the task of opening shop for the day may also have fallen to her.

In addition to each person's "technical" responsibilities, think about how everyone contributes to the little things that keep the show running. Who always volunteers to cover when the receptionist goes to lunch? Who makes it a habit to check on supplies? Who opens and closes the office each day?

Your list should include as many little details about each person's roles and contributions as possible.

Work Cycle

The next step is to plot out the work cycle in your department. First, make note of all daily, weekly, and monthly standard activities. Once you've recorded those, go back and add any special events or projects that are scheduled to occur during the summer months.

Vacation Requests

Once you've completed your overviews of "who does what" and your workflow calendar for the summer, ask everyone to submit their vacation or leave requests. Ask not only for vacations, but for any special schedule arrangements that are being negotiated as well. In some operations, it is common for people who might normally work 5-day weeks to go on flex arrangements during the summer months. Some may switch to working four 10-hour days in order to have an extra day off, or they may just use their stored-up leave time to extend their weekends for a day or so.

The finished product of your efforts should be a calendar that reflects your work cycle and everyone's vacation or leave plans, as well as a list of who does what.

2. Find the gaps

Your next step is to look for potential problem areas.

First, take a look at the overall schedule. Identify particular days or weeks where you might have issues because too many people are planning to be away. Make notes of your potential problem dates.

The next piece of the puzzle is to look at the core functions of your office and how they will be met. Using your list of "who does what," identify time periods where you might be missing everyone who knows how to perform a particular task or function.

This analysis will not only identify time periods that might be problematic. It will also help you pinpoint areas of your operation where you need cross-training because there simply aren't enough staff knowledgeable in how to do the required work.

3. Fill the holes

Ideally, you'll have plotted out your calendar and identified potential problems very early on. This gives you plenty of time to identify solutions that keep everyone happy well before the vacation season is at hand.

Where you've pinpointed issues with completing specific tasks and projects, identify employees who might be able to step up in those areas. Figure out the best way to cross-train employees to cover for each other during vacation or leave days. Maybe employees will need to document processes or conduct training sessions on certain pieces of their jobs. Maybe the members of your team can just spend a few hours during the weeks ahead "shadowing" each other while key tasks are performed, getting familiar with areas they'll need to cover during other employee's vacations.

In some cases, cross-training, shadowing and documentation may not be enough. There may simply be too many people wanting to be away at the same time. The good news is, by plotting it all out early on, you've hopefully built in time for people to be flexible and make alternate arrangements.

Maybe one person has booked airline tickets and hotel reservations for a trip to the beach. Another has a wedding to attend out of town. A third takes a week each summer to go visit her family back home. The wedding and the reserved resort trip might be difficult to reschedule, but with some advance notice maybe the employee who heads back to her parent's house for vacation will be willing to move her trip up or back a week or two.

4. Finalize the Plan

Once you've identified your problem areas and proposed solutions, get it all down in writing.

Document who has agreed to train and be trained in taking on certain responsibilities to cover for vacationers, as well as any changes that have been made to vacation dates. Provide copies of the calendar and the plan to all staff, so that everyone is aware and takes ownership of their piece of the puzzle.

We all need time to rest, recharge, be with our families and just have a bit of fun. For any number of reasons, most of us choose to take that time during the summer months. By planning ahead, documenting proposed actions, and conducting cross-training or shadowing activities well ahead of time, your office can keep all the wheels turning while still allowing employees to enjoy the vacation time they've worked hard to earn.