A Key Employee on Vacation?

Employee vacations can present a daunting logistical challenge to small business owners: One or two vacationing employees can represent a big percentage of their staff, and often there is no backup employee to pick up the slack. So, it’s natural that you may find yourself wanting to contact a vacationing worker to ask a question or resolve a problem. But when is it appropriate to do so? Here are a few common scenarios and solutions to help owners decide whether or not they should call or e-mail an out-of-town member of the team.

Scenario One: A major deal is about to fall apart. Yes: If a key customer is about to walk away from a deal while an employee is away on vacation, business owners would probably be wise to reach out to the staffer who worked on the deal. Talk with your employees prior to their vacations, to make sure they are comfortable with the possibility that you’ll be in touch.

Scenario Two: You are missing an important document. Maybe: Just because it’s easy to call or e-mail the employee doesn’t mean owners always should. Vacationing staff members deserve the respect of privacy. If the in-office staff can locate the document, even if it takes some time, they should do so. But if owners think their efforts are not productive, then a quick call to the vacationing employee might be the best solution.

Scenario Three: A customer demands to speak to the employee. No: Small business owners should use available resources to address the customer’s concerns. Unless the vacationing employee knows something no one else in the company does — and again, explore this with your employee before he or she leaves — or there is an emergency, owners should explain to the customer that the employee is on vacation, and then do whatever possible to address his or her concerns.

Scenario Four: The employee’s substitute is not as productive.     No: Unfortunately, this is something that just needs to be tolerated until the employee returns. Owners should understand that a fill-in might not be as productive as the vacationing employee and should take that into consideration when managing the workflow while the person is away. Make sure the fill-in is familiar with the most important aspects of the vacationing employee’s job; if possible, put aside some time for training.

Scenario Five: Client wants to schedule an important meeting with the vacationing employee. No: Unless the relationship with the client is dependent on this meeting, every effort should be made to schedule a meeting after the employee returns. Most customers or clients will understand, and owners would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t run into a similar situation.

Ultimately, when deciding whether to contact a vacationing employee, owners should base their decision on how pressing the issue is. There is no cookie-cutter answer for every business scenario, and owners should judge each situation on a case-by-case basis.

Also, many small business owners gain tremendous value from knowing three simple things about their employees’ contact preferences: how, where and when they can be reached. Have a brief conversation with your employees about this before they leave. Owners should always consider the scope of the workload, and delegate fairly. Furthermore, business owners should keep in mind that if non-exempt employees work while on vacation, their time may — and in certain cases, should — be compensable. If this is the situation, business owners should seek advice from a source familiar with employment laws.

Owners should also remember business is a give and take: When employees go on vacation, minor inconveniences, delays and hindrances can occur. But with the right attitude and a refreshed employee soon to return and ready to produce, these costs can be easily mitigated.