Thinking about booking a holiday?
We’ve all been there – scrolling through holiday deals filled with pictures of stunning sea views and palm trees blowing gently in a warm breeze. We’ve hovered over the big red ‘Book Now’ button and thought, ‘what if…’. And then we’ve remembered that our business exists. There’s admin to keep on top of, marketing strategies to create, credit control to sort out – can we really justify two weeks in the sun doing next to nothing? Taking time away from your business can feel incredibly stressful, and the thought of doing so may put you off taking annual leave altogether. In fact, according to a Glassdoor study, 40% of employees said they only take half of their annual entitlement, with 43% giving being too busy as their reason. But with workplace stress being at an all-time high, taking a break is more important than ever. In fact, it could actually benefit your business. Here at The Edwards Company, we’ve compiled a list of all the benefits booking a holiday could have for your business and how to take time away without feeling anxious about doing so – you’re welcome!Why Booking a Holiday is Good for your Business
For a long time, there’s been a misconception that the more hours you put into your business, the more you’ll get out of it. And, of course, this is true to a point. We all know that working hard is the key to success, but tipping the scale in the other direction can have a negative impact on your mental health, your general well-being, and your business.Not taking annual leave reduces productivity
When your work-life balance is off, it can cause you to become disconnected from the task at hand, and it becomes increasingly difficult to focus. In turn, this reduces the amount of work we’re actually able to complete and can also impact the quality of any completed work. When you’re running a business, lack of productivity from you or your team members stalls progress, meaning for some, it simply isn’t an option. Taking time away from your business in the form of a holiday, or even just a short mini-break or long weekend, helps us reset and refocus, making for a far more productive time upon our return. In terms of productivity, it really is in your best interests to step away from your business when you need to.Being overworked impacts creativity
In the same way that not taking annual leave can impact productivity, it can also have a negative knock-on effect on your levels of creativity. Creativity in the workplace is vital for things like problem-solving and strategies for attracting and keeping customers. Without new, innovative ideas, your business fails to progress and can become stuck in a rut. When you’re running on empty and are faced with endless to-do lists every day, however, the time you need to be creative becomes more and more fleeting, meaning problem-solving and new ideas come to a halt. Want to know one of the best ways to get your creative flare back? You guessed it! Taking a holiday. Holidays give you more brain space to be creative and also allow you to utilise more creative environments. While you’re relaxing somewhere exotic, you’re giving yourself the opportunity and the space to think creatively without worrying about the to-do list that’s waiting for you. Some of the best ideas happen when you’re not really thinking about them at all, and upon your return, you’ll feel much more motivated to implement your creativity in the workplace again.Lack of annual leave can lead to burnout
We hear the word ‘burnout’ thrown around a lot, but it is most definitely a reality for those of us who feel we aren’t able to step away from work easily.
According to the World Health Organisation, burnout is defined as:
‘A syndrome conceptualised from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterised by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion and exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job.’
As business owners, we all know that it’s the people behind the business that make it a success. It’s vital that the well-being of those people is protected at all costs, including yours. Without regular breaks away from work, burnout is a real possibility, and we know that negative impacts on your people will negatively impact your business too.
Booking annual leave and using it effectively throughout the year helps to reduce the risk of burnout, meaning you and your team remain feeling positive towards your job and motivated to fulfil your roles to the best of your ability. You benefit, your team benefits, and so does your business.
Our Top Tips for Taking Time Off
You may be thinking, that’s all well and good, but it doesn’t actually solve my problem. How am I supposed to step away from the business that I’m running?
We’ll be honest, it isn’t easy, and you may still feel a fleeting moment of fear as you exchange your desk for a sun lounger somewhere exotic, but that shouldn’t stop you. There are plenty of things you can do to ensure your business continues to run smoothly while you’re away, and that includes investing in a Virtual Assistant.
Virtual Assistants are available to step in and take care of tasks that you may be worried about falling behind on while you’re away. Take The Edwards Company, for example; we provide holiday cover for tasks like credit control, content creation, data entry and admin. Here’s why:
Credit Control – credit control is one of those tasks that never ends. As long as your business has customers, credit control will be a part of your day-to-day business tasks. Unfortunately, this means it can’t just be left to fester when you take time away from your business. Here at The Edwards Company, our credit control experts step in to look after your processes so that your accounts remain healthy and balanced while you’re away.
Content Creation – similarly to credit control, content creation is an integral part of your business and its marketing strategy. If you use social media regularly, you’ll already know the impact going MIA on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook can have on your reach overall. With this in mind, our content creation experts can plan, create and schedule content for your business platforms so that they can continue to grow, even when you’re taking a break.
Admin – if one of the reasons you feel reluctant to book yourself a holiday is because you can’t stop thinking about the piles of admin that will be waiting for you when you get back, you’re absolutely not alone. This is why we offer our admin service. Our Virtual Assistants can handle things like managing your inbox and responding to queries while you’re away so that your to-do list isn’t doubly stressful upon your return.
Data Entry – when you’re considering booking a holiday, you should be thinking, ‘do I want all-inclusive or self-catering?’, not ‘how will I have time to do that data entry task when I get back?’. Our data entry experts are available to take data entry tasks off your hands so that you can focus on planning a break that benefits you.