Ever fall behind on tasks due to sudden illness or personal emergencies? You and your employees can’t plan out all of your time off when it comes to the unexpected. However, there are strategies you can implement to keep your business running smoothly even when you or your employees are sick or need to take time off.
Keeping your business running smoothly when you or your employees are sick or need time off is crucial for maintaining productivity and meeting deadlines. Some strategies you can take to help manage unexpected absences are:
Document Processes & Procedures
To keep your business running when an employee is absent, essential tasks need to be documented and readily available to your team. Create detailed documentation for all important processes and procedures within your business. Think of them like step-by-step guides. This makes it easier for someone else in your team to follow the steps necessary to complete important tasks that are usually done by someone else.
Stay Connected with Technology
When it comes to tasks in progress and open tickets, having a way to keep track of everyone’s work will make it easier to keep tasks from falling through the cracks due to absent employees. If an employee is sick, can you access what work they were trying to complete? Using shared project management tools, communication apps, and cloud-based systems make it easier for your team to step in for an absent teammate and cover any time sensitive responsibilities.
Be Transparent with your Customers
When an employee needs sudden time off, there may be tasks and tickets that still need addressed. For open tasks that have a client waiting, reach out to the associated client to inform them of the situation. Keeping your clients informed about your employee’s absence will help clients understand the delay. It can also help identify projects that will need to be escalated to a different teammate in the meantime.
Want to learn more?
Here at BCSE, we have had to navigate unexpected absences many times. Listen to our latest eCommerce Made Easy podcast where Carrie shares her experiences with the unexpected and what systems you need to have in place to keep your business afloat.
