Whenever we gain something, we give up something. Time off for refreshment and recharging is very important to our wellbeing and productivity. Therefore, vacations are critical to our life success. The problem is that there is almost always a void when people are away from their jobs.
I grew up on a small dairy farm. The cows had to be milked twice every day. We weren’t large enough to have hired help, so we didn’t take our first vacation until my father sold the farm. I much prefer being able to take an occasional vacation to work every day. If we had taken a vacation, our livestock would have been devastated and the subsistence family business would have gone down the tubes.
If your business is healthcare, you will have a shortage of help to process claims this summer and risk falling behind. If a clinician, your revenue will drop, not only because of claims processing delays but also because of clinical staffing. In addition, patient satisfaction can suffer if you can’t get to them. Some industries allow for substitutes to step in to fill the gaps but getting substitute primary care physicians (PCPs) is difficult.
Healthcare is not the only industry affected. I have had significant difficulty finding tradespeople to work around my home that I either prefer not to do or don’t have the skill, tools or time to complete. With today’s robust economy, it exacerbates this challenge. And what about the service industry? Have you had long waits in restaurants lately or difficulty finding someone at Home Depot to help you with your electrical questions?
Owning a business and being able to accommodate your clients and patients is an interesting challenge as is the associated finding dependable temporary help. If the quality and efficiency stack up with your standards, you could not only lose money but also lose customers because of satisfaction issues. If in healthcare, there are all kinds of issues with payers, CMS, patients and other employees that could arise, not to mention financial setbacks.
I know someone who has been a loyal client of a dentist’s office for years. His last cleaning and checkup ended with a part-time substitute hygienist who didn’t measure up to his usual person and he became disgruntled. Enough so he is changing dentists.
My banker is a great guy and goes out of his way to assist me. He is on vacation and must work some to complete something for me we both thought would be completed prior to him leaving town. I feel terrible that he has to work, but I am also not happy that I have to wait so long for this service. If resolution doesn’t occur soon, I will consider a new platform.
Whatever your business or plight with vacancies and delays because of necessary vacation time, consider some of these ideas:
1. When aware prepare
If you depend on someone for a service or hoping to engage them, consider that this is vacation season and they may not be available at all or long enough to complete your job. If you are a service provider, communicate effectively with your clients so they know what to expect and don’t start a project that you can’t finish before you leave unless it doesn’t matter. If providing a service, work on your scheduling and task assignment so you don’t fall too far behind. Perhaps you can find a reliable substitute to help pick up the slack.
2. Plan ahead
If a small to medium operation, make certain that two or more critical resources from your team are not gone unless it is for a very short period. I know someone who cannot vacation the same time as her counterpart in a healthcare organization. They have to plan and coordinate time off with each other. Sometimes they even have to negotiate to determine when each may take time off. Since it is illegal and wrong to not allow people time off, it is better to plan for the events so you have reasonable representation or coverage during those periods. If you are attending something, whether dinner out or a doctor appointment, build time into your schedule for things to take longer than normal. It happens!
3. Be on you’re A game
Don’t allow your resource shortage to become an excuse for less than optimal performance by you or your team. For many of the reasons I have mentioned, poor performance regardless of the circumstances may cost you, clients or patients. I know someone who is seeking a new PCP because his wait at two recent visits was long and then the attention provided by the PCP very short. If you are behind, make sure your client or patient is being communicated with and then be at your best when you finally get to them. Shortcuts may leave you short of customers.
Now that you know this, go enjoy your vacation! No doubt you have earned it.