recruitment
Summer holidays shouldn’t ruin your business
By Paul MacKenzie-Cummins W
ith as many as 40 per cent of employees taking full advantage of the seemingly countless number of bank
holidays which characterised both April and May, business leaders in Wales are readying themselves for the next great wave of staff absences that is the annual summer holidays. But how should businesses cope with the impending staff shortages? Recent research carried out by
Moneypenny, the provider of telephone answering services, found that on average a company with 10 employees will typically handle 250 telephone calls every month, with 75 per cent of all callers hanging up if their call is not answered within six rings and as many as four out of five callers saying they will not ring that company back if their call is unanswered. The consequences of this to business
owners are obvious and could result in not only a loss of sales and decrease in customer service levels, but it also places greater strain and pressure on those employees who are left in the office
managing their own workload and that of their absent colleagues. Managing the impact of a decreased workforce – albeit temporarily – is critical. With the proverbial green shoots
of economic recovery starting to break through and the economy remaining in a fragile state, businesses continue to err on the side of caution and are increasingly mindful of the need to provide excellent levels of customer service in order to attract and retain business. And having the right infrastructure in place is critical to achieving that. “Planning is essential,” said Nathan
Bowles, CEO of Newport-based Smart Solutions, one of the fastest growing staffing providers in Wales. “By analysing the trends and data
from previous years businesses will be able to effectively prepare in advance for any anticipated surges in demand and decreased workloads. “There is always an increase in demand
for staff during the summer season. But it can vary from industry to industry and having a flexible workforce is paramount,”
says Bowles. “Firstly, it allows employers to have the right number of staff as and when they are required to fill in for others. And secondly, this creates a huge benefit for employers as they do not have the hassle of dealing with that employees payroll; thereby saving the employer both time and money. “However, failure to manage staffing
shortages effectively at critical times could have a knock-on effect for businesses. “Quality and service levels could suffer
whilst at the same time there could be an increase in customer complaints which could damage the company’s reputation in the marketplace, result in lost orders, and crucially it could have a detrimental effect of staff morale.” But taking on additional staff in the
short term is not an option for some businesses and the responsibility of the existing workload must be shared by everyone – including senior managers. It is the job of the management team to
identify the resources that will be missing and delegate responsibility among the whole team.
THEbusiness QUARTER 33
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