Summer is just around the corner, and with it comes vacation time. Are you ready for your accounting staff to take some time off? There are a number of ways that planned leaves of absence will impact your business, but the lead time that you have available will help you plan and prepare for their time off. With the critical roles many accountants play within a company’s infrastructure, it’s important to fill the void of production left by frequent vacation days taken during summer months. Today’s blog will provide a number of helpful tips that will help you and your company prepare for the well-earned time off of your critical staff.

Start with a Balanced Schedule

First and foremost, make sure that you are tracking and scheduling planned employee vacations as far in advance as possible. Charting out who has requested what days off will help you gain a more visual understanding of your staffing needs and impacts to workload. Look to your vacation leave policy to set the tone for vacation scheduling. If you can only allow for one member of the accounting team to take leave at a time, make sure everyone is aware of the policy and be transparent in who has requested what days off and when.

While there is always a potential for conflict if more than one employee requests the same period off, the best thing you can do is be fair and firm when you explain that due to the nature of the work, you need to maintain a balanced vacation schedule. Your employees will understand and appreciate the clarity.

Consider Hiring Temporary or Full-Time Staff

If, for whatever reason, there are multiple absences planned and you are really strapped for assistance in your accounting department, recruiting temporary staff can be the best answer to your hiring needs. If your project needs are more long-term in nature, hiring an additional full-time accountant is the best thing you can do both for the productivity of the team and your company’s bottom line.

Both temporary and full-time employees are able to be trained to take on the work that other employees are not present for so long as they are on-boarded early enough in the process. Have your new recruits work closely with your accounting staff prior to their leaves of absence so that there is minimal transition time and no negative impact to productivity.

If you are preparing for a summer season with an already strapped accounting team, now is the perfect time to reach out to Search Services for assistance identifying and recruiting the industry’s top accounting professionals. Our consultants work closely with clients to pin-point needs in terms of qualifications, background and experience so that your new accounting hires are able to hit the ground running. Call today to speak with a Search Services representative about your hiring needs.