Balancing Staffing Needs During the Summer Months

No matter what industry your business is in, staffing can be tricky, especially during those times of year when many of your staff want to take time off. Summer is one of those times–a time when everyone seems to want to take a vacation, but how do you make sure that your employees’ time off doesn’t impact your customers?

Here’s what you need to know about balancing your staffing needs during the summer months.

Your employees need a break

Studies have shown that regular vacations, even short ones, make for better, more productive employees. Summertime breaks are no exception, but what do you do when everyone wants to go away at the same time?

You may be able to keep everyone happy by bringing in extra staff for the summer, or you could even consider using the services of a call centre. Either of these will allow you to maintain a high level of customer support while simultaneously supporting your employees’ need for time off.

Plan ahead to allow for vacations & time off

Don’t wait until the first vacation requests filter in to plan coverage for your office–have a plan in place so that you can approve those requests without penalizing customers or your employees. Make sure your employees know about any times that are off limits for vacation requests and request that they be flexible, but you need to be flexible, too. It’s tricky to keep everyone happy, but content and well-rested staff are worth their weight in gold, so try to work with them as much as possible to ensure that everyone gets that much needed time off.

Consider a tradeoff

If you are really understaffed and can’t afford to take on extra temporary staff, why not tackle some of the work yourself and let other staff members have half-days on Fridays? A long weekend isn’t exactly a vacation, but it could be just what your employees need to keep their motivation strong all summer long. Flexibility and a willingness to work as a team can help ensure that employees don’t burn out and customers don’t suffer.

For more great tips on summer staffing and customer service, visit Answer 365 today.