Holiday Quandary
May 13I have just come off a Zoom meeting with my business partner and I am stuck in a quandary. This is odd for me, I am very decisive…some may say impulsive…but rarely not able to make a decision.
Both of our holidays have been cancelled. We both take 1 week off a year in the summer, we then have 2 weeks off at Christmas and take long weekends off here and there throughout the year.
It is probably not quite enough but it is what we do.
Once this fog lifts we are going to be extremely busy, the enquiries have already started to come in for new business and, fortunately, we have closed out a number of processes in the last few weeks.
So, what do we do?
Do we plan staycation holidays, or do we decide not to take the holidays and focus on driving the business forward post COVID-19?
It is a difficult decision to make as a business owner and we really are unsure.
We have continued to work during this furlough period as there has still been lots for us to do, frankly. It has given us an opportunity to complete some projects that we hadn’t had time to do and we have focussed on our COVID-19 business plan.
Its not been non-stop, don’t get me wrong, but it hasn’t been a break either.
As a business owner, I often feel guilty for taking time off, I don’t deny that. I even felt guilty about taking time off as an employee to be totally honest. It might just be me or it might be the recruitment industry as such.
Part of me feels that we should both plan a revised holiday and stick to it and ensure we get some real quality time away but part of me feels like we should dedicate the rest of the year to the business.
I imagine this is a topic that a lot of people are considering at the moment. Whether you own your own business or not. I have spoken with candidates who feel that it may be frowned upon to take holidays later in the year due to the fact that they have been furloughed.
The reality is this isn’t a break for any of us. We are either working, home schooling, trying to keep kids entertained, trying to keep ourselves sane or worrying about whether our payment holidays are going to be accepted.
Rest and recovery are so important to everyone’s well being.
What is your view and what will you be doing? How do you view it is a business owner and what is your view in relation to your employees?