Do summer holidays make us less efficient?
Every year when I went back to school after the summer holidays I found I’d forgotten some of what I’d been taught only a few months before. Too many weeks of playing, holidaying and generally avoiding anything to do with school!
There is a fair amount of research that shows the school summer holidays have a negative effect on learning. Its like two steps forward and one step back.
You might be thinking that your business doesn’t suffer from the same ‘summer learning loss’.
Okay, when people are away on holiday there is a fair number of colleagues covering for each other or delaying less important work. Efficiency might be under pressure for 4 to 6 weeks but come September its all back to normal. Isn’t it?
Yes. If your processes are well documented, people know those processes and where they fit in. Plus, you know how well the process are performing (like on-time completion of work or percentage failure rate). You have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
No. If you have never created SOPs. Procedures are in people’s heads, relying on habit, memory and the same people in the same role. Unfortunately, the summer holidays create efficiency as people need to get back into practice, remembering what to do, etc.
If you don’t know how to start with SOPs or what to check if yours need a polish, then get a free copy of The Definitive Guide to Standard Operating Procedures. Click here.