Work's fun, sure. I mean, it's what we all live for, right??? Yep, nothing better than spending 60 hours a week in the office. But still, no matter how much you enjoy spending hours and hours and hours working, sometimes it helps to take a vacation.
One of the benefits you can, and should, offer your Creatives is a good vacation policy. It helps you, because it gives them a chance to get away and recharge their batteries, helping them to be better when they're back to work. It can also be a useful salary alternative if you aren't in a position to pay higher wages. And of course it helps them, by giving them a break from work, allowing them to spend time building stronger relationships in their personal life which can translate into less stress in their professional life. Creatives can't be continuously creative, and it will help them keep their edge if they take a break on occasion.
What makes a good vacation policy? Well, to start with, give them enough time. The US government offers 13 vacation days a year to brand new employees...is there any reason you should be offering less? Start them off with a decent amount and allow that to grow with seniority. You could offer more time off as a bonus for exceptional work. Also consider allowing some unpaid time off in addition to their paid vacation, particularly as a way to deal with unexpected needs that arise.
You should also allow them to carry over some or all of their vacation from year to year. The potential problem with this is that some people will horde their time, denying them the benefits of vacation, so they can take it all at one -- potentially leaving you without an employee for an unacceptable amount of time -- or so they can get paid for it when they leave the company. But carrying over is important because sometimes people can't take their vacation. A friend of mine who's a stylist gets one week a year, but because he's trying to buy a house this year he can't afford to take a vacation. Rather than allowing him to carry over his vacation to next year the salon is instead forcing him to take it this year, which means he'll spend it around home rather than taking a real, and relaxing, vacation.
Have a "no communication" policy while they're on vacation. Leave the Blackberries at home (if you even feel the need for your Creatives to have those, that's kind of a shame) and don't do company work on vacation. Have them take the time to relax and get ready for the work awaiting them when they return.
Be flexible in allowing vacation time. Have your employees tell you as far in advance as possible so you can plan around it or identify any potential problems. Try to avoid having everyone take off at once, unless you're prepared to shut down the firm for a while.
Some companies take things a step further and have a "no policy" policy. That is, they allow employees to take as much vacation as they want, the only requirement being that they meet the goals that are set for them. As a leader, you avoid having to create and enforce policies while tracking employees' time. You and your Creatives are encouraged to develop clear goals and ensure they are met. You will most likely engender some loyalty from your employees because you are showing that you trust them, and while you face the risk of people abusing that trust, employers who've tried this method find that's pretty rare.
I know there are people who take pride in working so much they never take a vacation, but frankly, that strikes me as a pretty dumb attitude. Yes, there are times when you won't be able to take a vacation, but should you really be "proud" of this? To me, it often gives the impression that someone is incapable of getting their work done in a normal amount of time, rather than that they're really dedicated.
Bottom line: figure out how to best give people time off, and then do it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment