The Small Business Owner’s Guide for a Worry-Free Vacation

If you’re a small business owner, do you plan on taking a vacation this year? If not, you’re not alone. Per a 2014 survey conducted by Ondeck Capital, 43% of business owners didn’t plan on taking a vacation that year. It’s not surprising when you consider that many entrepreneurs feel they can’t get away – otherwise, their small business might fall apart. Even among those who planned to take a vacation, 67% said they were going to check in with work at least once a day.

You may wonder, how can I unplug from my business during a vacation and not spend time checking emails, answering business calls, or working on projects? First, you need to realize that “all work and no play” doesn’t have to be your mindset. You need to carve out time for a break since it’s essential to your health. In fact, studies show that men and women who don’t take vacations are more likely to have heart attacks.

If you want to take time away from your business to relax, here are some tried-and-true steps from The Payroll Department that you can take:

1. Make Your Vacation a Priority

Schedule your vacation time on your calendar. Treat it as a health care priority in your life.

2. Make Advance Preparations

• Create a plan of everything you need to do at work to prepare for your time away.
• A month prior to your vacation, plan to work extra hard to complete tasks before you leave.
• Tell your employees and clients at least a month in advance that you’ll be out of the office.
• Designate a contact person for your clients while you’re gone. Make sure that person is briefed on important information before you leave.
• Include a few days prior to your vacation in your schedule that you’ll be unavailable. This time will allow you to finish up tasks before you leave. Also, include a few unavailable days following your vacation to catch up uninterrupted.
• Don’t plan for any projects to go “live” or be due right before you leave or while you’re away. That way you don’t have to deal with last minute problems or need to work while your family is off having fun.
• Make sure you have a list of your important contacts and their phone numbers with you in case an emergency comes up while you’re away.

Once you know you have your ducks in a row that will help you relax and enjoy your time away.

3. Decide if You Will Unplug Completely or Stay Connected

 While unplugging completely may seem impossible, it’s not if you plan well enough in advance. If you decide you’ll be calling in or checking emails, define how often you’ll do that. Then stick to your plan.

If you end up working during your vacation, you won’t feel as refreshed as you could have if you totally unplugged or limited your working time.

4. Delegate Work to Others

• Put your trust in your employees and contractors to do a good job while you’re gone.
• Designate a second-in-command to handle tasks while you’re on vacation.
• Prepare detailed documents that explain the tasks you do, as well as common problems and solutions. Train an employee in how to complete these responsibilities.

5. Outsource Your Payroll Tasks

If you handle your Indiana company’s payroll, and your payroll will need to be processed while you’re away, consider outsourcing your payroll to The Payroll Department. We can take all the headaches of processing your payroll away. So, you don’t have to worry about it during your vacation or any other time during the year. Plus, we pay attention to the details to prevent any errors that will cost you hefty fines or penalties. And we ensure your payroll meets all current laws.

By outsourcing your payroll with The Payroll Department, you’ll know your payroll is being handled professionally and efficiently, so you can relax and enjoy your vacation. Therefore, if you want to have peace of mind and a rejuvenating vacation, contact Teresa Ray at 317-852-2568 to learn more about why you should leave your payroll processing to us.

Have a great time and enjoy yourself while you’re away!

– Ariane of The Payroll Department Blog Team