It is the holiday season, and as people head out of town, things are slowing down in many work places. This slow down offers a lot of challenges for those who stay. From dealing with broken chains of decision making to handling emergencies with limited staff.
On the upside, these challenges offer you opportunities to shine. If you’re on the B team that is running things while others are out. It actually one of the few situations where you may be given the opportunity to make decisions that are otherwise above your pay grade. Having said that, it is important to understand the limits, and ensure that these opportunities don’t turn into a crisis.
Here are a few tips to make the best out of having to work this holiday season.
Know your limitations
If you haven’t already, know who is available and who is out. In your mind, form a team that can handle daily work, and know who to go to in case of an emergency. If you’re the designated team leader, formalise this by running it with your manager to make sure you’re on track.
In addition, know when your manager or other supervisors want their break to be interrupted. What does that mean? In today’s workplaces, people who are out of the office, know that they can be reached. If they say so, they want you to let them know in case of an emergency, know what their definition of an emergency is and make sure you have means of communicating with them — a cell phone number or email.
Have a clear plan before everyone heads out will make it easier for you and help you avoid blame if an emergency is mismanaged or you make a decision that is perceived as out of your territory.
Ensure coverage
When you’re working with a small staff, and with many people empowered to do jobs that are not typically within their domain, you always should plan for delays, questions or even errors. Make sure that you have what you need to get the job done.
In addition, think of your alternative option in case of one staff members who need to be out of the office because of illness or any other emergency.
Training and orientation are always easier when you have the luxury of time and experienced staff. So try to get this done as soon as possible. If not, know where documentation of job duties is stored. In many cases a hurdle could be a password that is stored on someone’s computer or an email exchange that is not accessible.
Expect and pre-empt issues
The slowdown can be across all partner businesses, vendors, customer service and support. So if you’re trying to get work done in the coming two weeks, be prepared to deal with these delays as well. Stay focused and organised, especially if your work is time-sensitive and can’t wait until you reach a staff member who is vacationing overseas.
Planning is the best way to pre-empt issues. Have your team members on the same page, and communicate any change in the process that helps them understand why things are being done differently.
Have fun
It is the holiday season, and your team members probably have different reasons for working — by choice or not. If you’re the team leader, make sure that your reduce the stress level. Suggest an after-hours gathering or buy pizza for lunch. Anything the lighten the mood, introduces festivities or develop camaraderie can help.
And remember that some staff members may not be thrilled to work during the holidays. So having a bit of fun while getting work done can go a long way into increasing productivity.
Get and give credit
When your supervisors or managers come back, make sure that you get to give credit to your team members for holding down the fort. It is not uncommon that these efforts are overlooked when things have run smoothly and crises are averted. The best way for you to get credit for your budding management skills is to give everyone else’s due credit.
The writer, a former Gulf News Business Features Editor, is a Seattle-based editor.
Working in slow times
Build and know your alternate team
Know your power limits and responsibilities
Have training and documentation handy
Have fun and enjoy the opportunity
— R.O.
