It’s easy to get distracted at the end of the year. However, while it’s fine to be festive, you should ensure that in the weeks leading up to the Christmas break important business is taken care of, plans are put into place and opportunities aren’t overlooked. After that, eat, drink and be merry!
1. Take care of business
It’s tempting to start winding down business now. But it’s far better to be proactive so that in the New Year you’re ready for action. If clients owe you money, bill them now before accounting departments go on their break, otherwise it could be well into January or even February before you get paid. Likewise, try to wrap up anything outstanding from previous months, because you don’t want to start the New Year with reports and invoices from October. Find out about potential delays with suppliers or delivery during the holidays, and build these into your plans or let your customers know about it, so you don’t have a pile of complaints to deal with when you come back.
2. Keep staff motivated
This is a great time to make contact with potential clients. Keep your sales staff motivated by setting specific targets, perhaps kicking off an internal holiday campaign, with a prize awarded to the top seller. You should also step up your marketing efforts, so that when clients return from the break and are ready to update their technology or business processes, your company is at the top of their mind. Marketing staff should use the pre-Christmas period to prepare communications and plan promotional offers for the New Year.
3. Decide whether to stay open
Whether you need staff working during the break depends on your business. If you feel it would be better to stay open, calculate whether the amount of business you will get balances out with the cost of staying open, including the cost of paying for staff to work and the cost of air conditioning and running equipment. If you do decide to completely close during the Christmas break, or to open for reduced hours, let customers and employees know as early as possible.
4. How will you handle staffing?
If you need staff during the break, or require IT staff, decide on a way to do this fairly. Your company’s policy should ideally be in place early in the year and be reiterated so staff are familiar with procedures. For example, you can offer holiday requests on a first-come, first-served basis; those with travel plans will be more likely to put in their requests early. If you realise too late that you need staff to work, you can always do as the airlines do: ask for volunteers and reward them later with time off or a small bonus.
5. Lock up and shut down
Christmas is the hacker’s favourite time of year, and machines are more likely to be attacked during that time, so it pays to be extra vigilant about IT security. Make sure antivirus software is updated and running. Keep your networks secured and automatically monitoring for break-ins, with systems in place that can alert relevant staff via SMS in the case of an emergency: this way, IT staff don’t need to come in but can be reached on an on-call basis. Turn off all servers that aren’t needed and also unnecessary services such as your Wi-Fi, which is an easy way for hackers to gain access to your network. Ensure critical files are backed up offsite. Additionally, if your office won’t be staffed during the break, turn off all office equipment, lighting, heating and air conditioning to help reduce energy bills. Finally, make sure your premises are locked up, and enjoy your break!
1. Take care of business
It’s tempting to start winding down business now. But it’s far better to be proactive so that in the New Year you’re ready for action. If clients owe you money, bill them now before accounting departments go on their break, otherwise it could be well into January or even February before you get paid. Likewise, try to wrap up anything outstanding from previous months, because you don’t want to start the New Year with reports and invoices from October. Find out about potential delays with suppliers or delivery during the holidays, and build these into your plans or let your customers know about it, so you don’t have a pile of complaints to deal with when you come back.
2. Keep staff motivated
This is a great time to make contact with potential clients. Keep your sales staff motivated by setting specific targets, perhaps kicking off an internal holiday campaign, with a prize awarded to the top seller. You should also step up your marketing efforts, so that when clients return from the break and are ready to update their technology or business processes, your company is at the top of their mind. Marketing staff should use the pre-Christmas period to prepare communications and plan promotional offers for the New Year.
3. Decide whether to stay open
Whether you need staff working during the break depends on your business. If you feel it would be better to stay open, calculate whether the amount of business you will get balances out with the cost of staying open, including the cost of paying for staff to work and the cost of air conditioning and running equipment. If you do decide to completely close during the Christmas break, or to open for reduced hours, let customers and employees know as early as possible.
4. How will you handle staffing?
If you need staff during the break, or require IT staff, decide on a way to do this fairly. Your company’s policy should ideally be in place early in the year and be reiterated so staff are familiar with procedures. For example, you can offer holiday requests on a first-come, first-served basis; those with travel plans will be more likely to put in their requests early. If you realise too late that you need staff to work, you can always do as the airlines do: ask for volunteers and reward them later with time off or a small bonus.
5. Lock up and shut down
Christmas is the hacker’s favourite time of year, and machines are more likely to be attacked during that time, so it pays to be extra vigilant about IT security. Make sure antivirus software is updated and running. Keep your networks secured and automatically monitoring for break-ins, with systems in place that can alert relevant staff via SMS in the case of an emergency: this way, IT staff don’t need to come in but can be reached on an on-call basis. Turn off all servers that aren’t needed and also unnecessary services such as your Wi-Fi, which is an easy way for hackers to gain access to your network. Ensure critical files are backed up offsite. Additionally, if your office won’t be staffed during the break, turn off all office equipment, lighting, heating and air conditioning to help reduce energy bills. Finally, make sure your premises are locked up, and enjoy your break!
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