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HOW TO KEEP BUSINESS BOOMING AND EMPLOYEES SMILING

THROUGH THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Introduction

1. Plan ahead

2. Know when you´ll be busy

3. Delegate tasks

4. Keep the cash flowing

5. Prioritise

6. Taking on temporary staff?

7. Manage your payroll

8. Keep communications open

9. Make good use of any down time

10. Have some fun

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Index

Managing staff and payroll

While holiday companies and advertisers sell visions of summers spent lounging by a pool, or adventuring o around the world, reality can be very different for business owners.

Nearly half of business owners recently surveyed by Sage say they did not manage to take a holiday last year.

The true heroes of the economy, who generated 66% of the jobs created in the US and UK since 2010 know that jobs still need to be completed, orders delivered and business managed all year round.

This means that not only do small business owners have to cope without taking a well-deserved break, but also keep things going while others are away on their holidays. Finding ways to cope with a smaller team, or recruiting temporary cover only adds to the stress.

Here are our top tips for keeping your employees happy and business booming over the summer holiday season:

Introduction

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Managing staff and payroll

1. Plan ahead

2. Know when you’ll be busy

3. Delegate tasks

• Ask your employees to book holidays with plenty of notice.

• Make sure everyone knows how much holiday they’re entitled to and remind them to use it.

Having a shared calendar can help employees stagger their time off, and negotiate shift swaps when the business needs cover.

Google offers online calendar sharing options as do Apple via iCloud. If you’re more used to using Microsoft Outlook, then Office365 also gives you the flexibility to view and share calendar information.

Your business may have seasonal peaks and troughs when you want to encourage or discourage employees from taking holiday.

Communicate this well in advance and think about offering an incentive or reward for staff who can be exible. But make sure you’re fair to everyone.

• Make good use of existing staff and share the load.

• Ask for help – some employees will be happy to be more flexible if they know someone will cover for them when they want time off.

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Managing staff and payroll

Staff may be on holiday over the summer, but so may your customers. Make sure you have cash coming in so that your payments aren’t delayed.

4. Keep the cash flowing

If you know that the person who authorises payments is going to be on a break, try and negotiate early or advance payments.

Benefits of offering a service like this:

• Get paid faster – offer your customers a quick, secure and convenient way to pay.

• Improve your cash flow – cut the time you spend chasing payments and promote instant payments.

• Save time – into Sage One, so you don’t have to enter gures manually and risk making mistakes.

Take a good look at your payment collection procedures. Do they need updating? Are you still chasing the same old debts? Online software like Sage One can help you identify and remind you of overdue payments so you can prioritise which to chase.

Set a good example and pay your invoices on time. Don’t damage credit rating or supplier relationships. If you’re not going to be around, who can authorise payments in your absence?

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Managing staff and payroll

SAGE ONE CAN HELP YOU IDENTIFY AND REMIND YOU OF OVERDUE PAYMENTS.

5. Prioritize

• Move the most important tasks to the top of your to-do list.

• Think about your current lead times and work out what you can realistically deliver.

• Work on things that will add value to your business.

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Managing staff and payroll

Whether they’re with you for the summer season or the long haul, it’s important that all your employees get a fair deal and understand how they contribute to the success of your business.

6. Taking on temporary staff

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Help your new seasonal staff to get off to a good start:

• Terms and conditions

Legally you need to provide a written statement of terms and conditions for all new employees within two months of them starting. Get them done early.

• Health and safety

It’s another legal requirement for new employees to understand what they need to know to do their job. Get these signed.

• Tour and introductions

Show your new person around and help them understand what they’ll be doing and who they’ll be working with. Encourage other staff members to buddy up with new employees.

• Get to know the job and customers

What kind of training do they need? What kind of equipment? It’s no use complaining that they’re standing round doing nothing if you haven’t given them the tools. Make sure things are set up so they can get off to a great start.

Managing staff and payroll

Holiday time can put added pressure on your payroll, with people working more or less hours than usual.

7. Manage your payroll

If you’re the boss and you manage payroll, make sure you can manage it when you’re on holiday, or have someone you trust to take on that responsibility. No one’s going to be happy if they don’t get their pay.

Apart from making sure your staff get paid on time, you also need to make sure that HMRC receive the full payment submissions (FPS) on time too.

With online software like Sage One Payroll, it’s quick and easy, and you don’t even have to be at your workplace to process payroll. So it’s ideal if you’re taking a break.

Mark Phillipson uses Sage One Payroll to keep his mobile bike repair and service business ‘Bike Repair Man’ on track. “The reason we use Sage One Payroll is if you get home and forget to do your payroll you can do it at home or anywhere with an internet connection” he says. “You can do it anywhere, with a laptop or a computer. Just sit down and do your payroll and your staff are paid, no problem.”

Mark Phillipson uses Sage One Payroll to keep his mobile bike repair and service business ‘Bike Repair Man’ on track. “The reason we use Sage One Payroll is if you get home and forget to do your payroll you can do it at home or anywhere with an internet connection” he says. “You can do it anywhere, with a laptop or a computer. Just sit down and do your payroll and your staff are paid, no problem.”

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Managing staff and payroll

“THE REASON WE USE SAGE ONE PAYROLL IS IF YOU GET HOME AND FORGET TO DO YOUR PAYROLL YOU CAN DO IT AT HOME OR ANYWHERE WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION”.

Mark Phillipson, business owner

8. Keep comunications open

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• Keep your customers happy. Advise them if you’re planning a business slow down during the summer holidays.

• Set expectations with your staff and customers and set deadlines to help you prioritise jobs.

• Make sure your employees know when they should or shouldn’t contact you if you’re taking some time off. Is it emergencies only, or do you want a daily update? Set some boundaries and expectations.

• Leave a good handover and encourage your employees to do the same. A late night, last minute email will inevitably mean you miss something.

• Set up an out of office message on your email and offer alternative contacts if appropriate.

• As well as making sure there’s a good handover before people take holiday, ensure there’s a smooth transition back to work when they get back too. Help employees get up to speed with any changes made in their absence.

• Set up auto responses for email or social media and schedule any blog posts or newsletters you send out as part of your business in advance.

Managing staff and payroll

9. Make good use of any down time

10. Have some fun

If holidays are a quiet time for your business, make the most of the time to do things that will help in the long term, such as reviewing your business plan, measuring the volume of your marketing and getting customer feedback.

Carry out maintenance, improvements and cleaning up. This can apply to business premises, processes and finances.

Outdoor and sociable activities are a great way to achieve this. These kinds of events can help get employees working together, improve communications and build a good team atmosphere. They don’t have to cost a fortune.

Summer is also a great time to focus on health and fitness. Whether that’s a casual game of Frisbee over lunch or a post work kick around, encouraging your employees to lead an active lifestyle is good for them and your business.

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Managing staff and payroll

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