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Small Talk

Not too late to set rules for vacation

By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG, Associated Press
Published May 12, 2006

Summer can turn into the least relaxing time of the year for some small-business owners. They find themselves dealing with a variety of vacation issues - resolving conflicts when several employees want the same week off and finding ways to get all the work done while staffers are away.

Company owners who are parents of school-age children can have another set of problems, trying to run the business while keeping their kids occupied and safe. Luckily, there's a solution to all these problems: planning right now, before vacation season arrives.

With employee vacations, the answer is a vacation policy. Although this is a task that's best done at the start of the year, it's not too late to put one in place for the summer, said Bonnie Beirne, director of service operations for Administaff, a Houston human resources firm.

A policy about vacation - or any other time off - needs to let employees know what's expected of them, and what they can expect from you.

"They'll understand when they can take it, what the process is, when they are eligible," Beirne said.

So, your policy needs to address issues such as how many workers can be off at the same time, how far in advance vacation requests need to be made and how conflicts can be resolved. Eligibility for time off and the number of days staffers are entitled to should be part of the policy, although it's likely that you've discussed that with employees at the time they were hired.

If you're not sure how much time off to give staffers - or any other aspects of a vacation policy - ask other small-business owners about their policies. Beirne noted that your location, industry, the market you serve and your business cycle can be factors to be considered. For example, if other companies in your industry tend to give workers four weeks off, you should probably consider giving the same amount of time so you can be competitive in attracting people.

Beirne said planning for vacation season means knowing how the work will get done while staffers are away. It's very likely that employees will need to cover for one another. If you need more help, Beirne noted that many companies hire interns or college students for the summer to supplement their work force.

Business owners who are parents need to be thinking of how their children will be cared for and entertained during the summer. If you put off this kind of planning too long, you might find there's no space for your kids in a summer camp or other activities program.

Some parents find that even the best-laid plans can fall through. Leslie Head, co-owner of Tee Pee For Me, no longer tries to plan the whole summer in advance for her two children, ages 4 and 10.

"I found out that never works," said Head. "I do a couple of weeks at a time."

Head is fortunate in that she has a partner in the business, which creates play space for stores and private clients. They'll divide their work so that "sometimes she does a little more work and sometimes I do," allowing each of them to devote time to their children.

Parents with children in their early teens or older have it a little easier - their kids can start working in the business. Still, you might want some backup plans, in case a child doesn't want to work the whole summer.

Even owners who have child care throughout the year have to deal with summertime vacation issues.

Caitlin Friedman, co-owner of YC Media, a New York public relations firm, has a nanny to care for her 2-year-old twins. But when summer comes, her nanny takes a vacation, so Friedman has to juggle her company and looking after her children.

"The options are limited," Friedman said. "You can't just go get another nanny, and it's not like they're old enough to do summer camp."

Joyce Rosenberg writes for the Associated Press.

[Last modified May 12, 2006, 08:37:26]