Time Off for Small Business Owners

Vacation Increases Your Business’s Bottom Line

Vacation time is something that everyone needs. Even the bosses. Research backs up the importance of taking time off. A study showed that women who took a vacation at least twice a year were eight times less likely to have a heart attack or develop heart disease when compared to those who seldom took vacation. The findings were just as true for men. Those who took time off were 30% less likely to have a heart attack than their counterparts.

A vacation increases your business’s bottom line (due to increased productivity), and results in better performance. While we all agree that taking time off is nice, it’s easy to forget just how vital such breaks are to our physical and mental well-being.

Vacation time is beneficial to your business. After taking time off from work, you are more:

  • Productive
  • Innovative
  • Relaxed
  • Engaged
  • Balanced

You’re no stranger to the hard work and sacrifice that comes with your company’s growth, and in the battle for balance, R&R are usually the first sacrifices to the entrepreneurial gods. Leading a business isn’t as much a 9-5 job as a 24-hour lifestyle. You probably won’t take full advantage of policies such as unlimited vacation, but by going through the following steps, you can reap the benefits — even while running a business.

Smart Vacations

  • A day off work here and there can give you a chance to catch your kid’s game or just spend quality time with a surprise for your spouse.
  • If the idea of leaving your office for two weeks causes more panic than it will offset, perhaps your solution is to take several mini-vacations.
  • A long weekend and smart vacation nearby will do wonders and will gradually alleviate your anxiety as you build up longer chunks of time away from your business.

Delegate

  • Taking time off requires you to appoint a second-in-command or delegate key responsibilities to your most trusted employees.
  • Understand your role and divide daily tasks among the senior staff who are best suited to fill those areas.
  • Effective delegation can also provide an individual (or several employees) with valuable leadership experience.
  • Be sure to provide the right training, which could include asking them to shadow you for a day.
  • Also important is to decide what they don’t need to do — take stock and decide which tasks aren’t essential for operations while you’re gone for a week or two.

 

Plan Ahead

  • Look at key factors such as slow versus busy seasons, family demands and current or upcoming projects that require your attention.
  • Don’t wait until the last minute to start planning.
  • The more time you can give your staff, the better equipped they’ll be to handle the business in your absence.
  • You know your role is important, so avoid taking an impulse vacation.
  • With enough notice period, you can prepare to get away with minimal repercussions.
  • It should go without saying to plan your vacation for a slower period as well.

Contingency Plan

  • What kinds of issues are likely to come up while you’re gone, and who among your team members is best equipped to handle them?
  • Once you’ve identified those people, instruct them to take on the new responsibilities a few weeks before you leave zso that you can guide them while you’re there.
  • This is also a great way to let your staff increase their responsibilities and develop skills in a safe harbor.

Technology

  • To reap the full benefits of your vacation, truly let yourself take a break.
  • Thanks to technology, it’s possible to remain connected even in the most remote parts of the world.
  • That said, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
  • By this point, you’ve created a contingency plan so that your staff can handle the most predictable things that might come up, and they also now know under what emergency circumstances they should call you.
  • Trust that they will and put the phone away.

Lastly, remember that a business’ strength is derived from its unique human capital, which deserves the investment in your well-being just as much as anything else. Contact HyperEffects to chart out a tailor-made tool for your business processes to be more swift, organised and easy.

Hyper Effects | Grow Your Business

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