Tips to help your employees shift back from vacation mode
All you have to do before your staff leaves during the winter break is make sure they meet immediate deadlines, tie up loose ends and empty their in-boxes, right?
Not so fast. A recent survey by OfficeTeam suggests that companies need to encourage employees to plan not just for their departure from work but also for their return.
According to Canadian executives polled, it takes an average of two days for a typical employee to resume normal productivity levels following a vacation. Multiply that by the number of staff members you supervise, and you could be looking at several weeks' worth of low efficiency and minimal output.
While everyone deserves time off to be with friends and family during the holiday season, in today's highly competitive business climate few firms can afford to have their employees return so gradually from vacation.
Since many workers take end-of-the-year vacations that frequently overlap, it's especially important for everyone to have a re-entry plan.
Encourage employees to hit the ground running after the holidays by doing
the following:
•Set a schedule for the first day back. Yes, your team members will be busy wrapping up projects before they leave, but ask each of them to also plan for the day they'll be returning to work. They should allot specific blocks of time to respond to phone and e-mail messages, sort through the backlog of traditional mail, and review the status of ongoing assignments. You may also want to suggest they meet with colleagues to get up to speed on recent company or department developments, and new priorities. Making a schedule for the day will help employees make the transition from the flexibility of vacation to the structure of work.
•Use available technology. Before they leave, staff members should change voice- and e-mail greetings to indicate they're out of the office and when they will return. Callers are less likely to leave multiple messages for someone they know won't respond right away. The greeting should also direct callers to an employee in the office who can assist with urgent matters.
•Consider employees take a transition day. A jet-lagged, sleep-deprived employee is not a productive, alert or prepared one. If your staff members are planning out-of-town vacations that entail returning late Sunday night and coming to work early Monday morning, suggest that they take an extra day for transition. This is especially critical if employees will be traveling through time zones. Taking an additional day off as a buffer will enable people to catch up on sleep, personal matters, errands and housework so that they'll be more focussed when they do get back to the office.
•Minimize chitchat. Once they return, it's only natural for employees to recap their vacations for one another. This is fine, as long as it doesn't interfere with their ability to get back up to speed. Consider using the first five or 10 minutes of the weekly staff meeting as an informal "catch-up" time. Give employees the opportunity to share a
funny or interesting story about their vacation with the group. Then everyone will be ready to get down to business.
•Capitalize on the "vacation afterglow." Employees typically return from vacations with recharged spirits and refreshed minds. The beginning of the year is therefore a perfect time to hold creative brainstorming or planning sessions. That way you'll turn the personal benefits of individual vacations into a power source for your entire department.
Encouraging your staff to use these tactics can decrease the amount of time they spend playing catch-up after a vacation -- and prevent frustration on your part over lost productivity. That's a great holiday gift for any manager.
Lesley Gunn is branch manager of the Toronto OfficeTeam location. Browse the firm's Web site: www.officeteam.com.
Not so fast. A recent survey by OfficeTeam suggests that companies need to encourage employees to plan not just for their departure from work but also for their return.
According to Canadian executives polled, it takes an average of two days for a typical employee to resume normal productivity levels following a vacation. Multiply that by the number of staff members you supervise, and you could be looking at several weeks' worth of low efficiency and minimal output.
While everyone deserves time off to be with friends and family during the holiday season, in today's highly competitive business climate few firms can afford to have their employees return so gradually from vacation.
Since many workers take end-of-the-year vacations that frequently overlap, it's especially important for everyone to have a re-entry plan.
Encourage employees to hit the ground running after the holidays by doing
the following:
•Set a schedule for the first day back. Yes, your team members will be busy wrapping up projects before they leave, but ask each of them to also plan for the day they'll be returning to work. They should allot specific blocks of time to respond to phone and e-mail messages, sort through the backlog of traditional mail, and review the status of ongoing assignments. You may also want to suggest they meet with colleagues to get up to speed on recent company or department developments, and new priorities. Making a schedule for the day will help employees make the transition from the flexibility of vacation to the structure of work.
•Use available technology. Before they leave, staff members should change voice- and e-mail greetings to indicate they're out of the office and when they will return. Callers are less likely to leave multiple messages for someone they know won't respond right away. The greeting should also direct callers to an employee in the office who can assist with urgent matters.
•Consider employees take a transition day. A jet-lagged, sleep-deprived employee is not a productive, alert or prepared one. If your staff members are planning out-of-town vacations that entail returning late Sunday night and coming to work early Monday morning, suggest that they take an extra day for transition. This is especially critical if employees will be traveling through time zones. Taking an additional day off as a buffer will enable people to catch up on sleep, personal matters, errands and housework so that they'll be more focussed when they do get back to the office.
•Minimize chitchat. Once they return, it's only natural for employees to recap their vacations for one another. This is fine, as long as it doesn't interfere with their ability to get back up to speed. Consider using the first five or 10 minutes of the weekly staff meeting as an informal "catch-up" time. Give employees the opportunity to share a
funny or interesting story about their vacation with the group. Then everyone will be ready to get down to business.
•Capitalize on the "vacation afterglow." Employees typically return from vacations with recharged spirits and refreshed minds. The beginning of the year is therefore a perfect time to hold creative brainstorming or planning sessions. That way you'll turn the personal benefits of individual vacations into a power source for your entire department.
Encouraging your staff to use these tactics can decrease the amount of time they spend playing catch-up after a vacation -- and prevent frustration on your part over lost productivity. That's a great holiday gift for any manager.
Lesley Gunn is branch manager of the Toronto OfficeTeam location. Browse the firm's Web site: www.officeteam.com.
