3 ways to maintain productivity throughout the summer - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

3 ways to maintain productivity throughout the summer - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Are your team members and colleagues taking time off this summer? It falls to managers and human resources leaders to make sure their teams and organisations run smoothly during peak vacation months. You can avoid project delays and deadline extensions during the summer period with the right policies, strategic temporary staff, and forward planning. 1. Create and maintain good vacation policies Without transparent policies in place you put your business at risk of confusion and chaos A good vacation policy will ensure that employees give enough notice, do not book holidays that overlap with those of other colleagues, and fully understand their rights and obligations. Make sure front line managers and team leads have a strong understanding of why the policies are in place, and know how to manage their teams to still meet their objectives. It’s the managers’ duty to then disperse this information to their team members, ensuring that everyone is aware of their rights and responsibilities. These policies are important because they set the minimum standard that allows your business enough time and staff to continue operations. Without clear and transparent policies in place you put your business at risk of confusion and chaos. 2. Use temporary staff to boost your workforce productivity Temporary workers are a flexible and convenient way of bringing skilled and experienced professionals into your company. From specialized workers to support projects, to administrative and HR professionals who can reduce the administrative burden, temporary staffing options are a cost-effective way to boost your workforce during the summer months. And if youll be increasing headcount in the autumn, temp-to-perm hiring offers a risk-free opportunity to trial potential team members. Temp-to-perm hiring offers a risk-free opportunity to trial potential team members Make sure that your business is correctly structured in order to easily receive interims during this period. A sound on-boarding strategy which makes the process as comprehensive and painless as possible is required for you to fully benefit from temporary workers. 3. Create individual plans for vacation cover Vacation is vital for all employees so they can return refreshed, reducing the risks of stress leave and burn out. According to our CEO, Alistair Cox “Taking a well-earned respite is a key ingredient to nurturing versatile and productive teams”. However, your company still needs to operate seamlessly while everyone takes these much-deserved breaks. Vacation is vital for all employees so they can return refreshed Create a standard template for employees and team leads to individually manage their time off. Have them list their top priorities, which tasks are most time-sensitive, who is responsible for those tasks while they are away and what the employee needs to do before they leave to ensure their colleagues are prepared. If an employee doesn’t want their holiday interrupted by requests and queries from puzzled colleagues then it is essential that they tie up any loose-ends before taking their break. A final thought It’s important that all of your employees enjoy a healthy work-life balance; however it’s equally important that they’re not doing so at the detriment of anyone else or the business itself. Ensuring that you have a thorough strategy in place to deal with the temporary absence of your staff is crucial to the continued success of your business. If you enjoyed this blog then you might also enjoy some of the following: Training at the top Prioritising personality in your hiring process Are you a global citizen? Establishing an effective middle management tier How to lead from afar Successful people create their own luck // Share this blog: