Managing Your Business

Returning from a trip

When returning from a business trip, it sometimes is difficult to get back into a work routine. To ease the transition, make a list of simple tasks to complete when you return. Your list should include reminders to complete a trip report, which should include your activities, results and ideas. Completing your expense report also should be on your list, as well as making follow-up calls and sending information you promised to people you visited.

Schedule a time to meet with employees about progress they made on tasks you assigned; you’ll want to know whether they encountered any problems while you were away. This also will help you determine how employees behaved in your absence. Praise employees who deserve it, and help employees who did not perform well work through difficulties and improve.

Source: Adapted from the Microsoft bCentral Web site, as cited in The Manager’s Intelligence Report, October 2002 issue.

Helping families of hospitalized employees

Occasionally, an employee will become ill or injured while working and require hospitalization. If it is your duty to speak with the family of a hospitalized employee, common sense, compassion and the following tips may help you make a good impression:

Arrange for a private room. An employee’s hospital room may be too busy and emotional for a conversation with his family. Contact hospital personnel to arrange for a private room in which to have a conversation.

Be discreet. If the hospitalized employee’s family members are in a busy waiting room, ask hospital personnel to identify them before you approach anyone. If the family is in the employee’s hospital room, knock and enter quietly before introducing yourself and expressing your concern. Then, lead the family members to the private room you reserved.

Prepare to answer questions. The hospitalized employee’s family members may have questions about the illness or injury, as well as a need to vent fear or anger. Be prepared to answer questions and provide help, such as childcare. Do not make any promises you cannot keep, and be careful when answering questions about fault or insurance. You may need to direct those questions to other company personnel handling the issues.

Source: Adapted from Blindsided, as cited in The Manager’s Intelligence Report, November 2002 issue.

Scheduling vacations

Typically, employers allow employees to schedule vacations whenever employees want to take them. However, this can cause problems, such as staff shortages during busy summer months.

To avoid these problems, consider making vacation scheduling a reward. For example, allow employees with the best attendance or highest productivity to choose vacation days during busy seasons or around holidays. In addition, you may want to regulate length and timing of vacations to avoid several employees being away from the office at the same time. When changing vacation procedures, make sure you comply with company policies.

Source: Adapted from Manager’s Legal Bulletin, as cited in The Manager’s Intelligence Report, March 2002 issue.

Get creative

If you believe your staff members lack creativity when problem solving, try the following steps to get their imaginations working:

1. Describe a problem. Tell your employees about a problem you hope to overcome. For example, your objective may be to boost your roofing company’s sales.
   
   
2. Visualize the problem. Ask your employees to create visual images depicting their understanding of the problem.
   
   
3. Discuss. Have your employees explain their concepts with each other. Make sure they discuss the assumptions they made, and challenge them.
   
   
4. Re-examine. Your employees should evaluate their ideas while considering their co-workers’ opinions and suggestions.
   
   

Source: As cited in The Working Communicator, March 2001 issue.