Imagine you had to miss work for a week, two weeks or maybe even a month. Would your employees or co-workers know how to step in and take over the reins while you’re absent? If you plan a vacation or become suddenly ill, you would want your business to run smoothly without major interruptions. So, here are some steps to get you started:

Delegating someone for the tasks:

We know that it can be hard to delegate tasks to another person because you have gotten into the habit of doing things yourself. However, before you go on vacation or must miss work, it is best to make sure to delegate critical tasks and discuss your expectations. So, when you return, you’re not faced with a lot of “need to do’s” that could have been done while you were away.

Empowering that delegated someone:

When you delegate someone to take over your tasks, make it a priority to empower them to handle the tasks in the manner they feel necessary. We have a habit of thinking our way is the best way and that is not the case most of the time. If the result is what was communicated and expected, the road to get there should be allowed to vary unless non-compliance becomes an issue.

Presenting precise and clear directions:

It can be difficult explaining something that we’re so used to doing ourselves. However, when giving directions, make sure the steps are presented in a very precise and clear manner. You want the person completing your tasks to be able to follow your instructions without complications. The last thing you want is that person having to call you for details or explanations while you’re enjoying that much needed time away.

Training your delegated person:

Before you leave someone accountable for your tasks, you want to make sure that they’re trained adequately. You don’t want to leave them in a panic because they’ve never had the opportunity to perform your tasks before. While you’re available, it could be beneficial to have them perform the work so that they feel more comfortable when you’re away and possibly unreachable.

Give feedback:

You want to provide feedback on how the person is performing your tasks. Be sure not to focus on how you perform the tasks but on how the tasks are being completed and expectations are being met. Something that you may do in ten steps, someone else could possibly do in five or fifteen steps.

A smoothly ran office gives a sign of prepared and polished professionals who have the best interest of its clients, employees, co-workers and the company itself. Having a solid policies and procedures manual is very important and essential for any company’s continued success with or without you.