Train your staff to hold the fort

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PROBLEM

My husband and I have been managing a small engineering business for the past 14 months and so far have only been able to spend two days together on annual leave. The only way we can find to take any more leave is to close the business for a couple of weeks at Christmas. The staff in our employ are not management material, and we cannot rely on them for more than a day or two. What do we do to ensure some breaks are taken? We do not have the financial resources to employ someone who can deal with all facets of the business.

SOLUTION

Terry Sage, director of Business Coaching New Zealand, says a lot of companies are in this predicament because they have reduced staffing levels throughout the recession.

"Engineering firms have been particularly hard-hit."

He says the couple could holiday separately (which is not ideal for their marriage) or close the doors while they take a break (which is not ideal from a cashflow perspective but is the most common choice made by firms in this situation). Or they could find a temporary manager to take over in their absence: "But there are not many of these around."

He says they could get their external book-keeping contractors to manage the administration and accounts in their absence and direct the staff via the internet. Clear instructions should be left and staff should know how to get in touch with them.

Most businesses will be able to survive for a short period of time, even if the idea of leaving staff to it makes owners uncomfortable. More advice for owners: delegate a bit more of the workload to staff while you are there so there is a spread of knowledge. Let your major customers know you're away - if they know how hard you work, they will probably appreciate that you need a break.

Invest in staff training to help them work independently.