The holidays are a time to spread joy. Unfortunately, when you are working in business, they can also come with stress.

With people taking holidays left, right and centre, how are you supposed to maintain good governance?

We’ve put together some tips to make sure you don’t let compliance standards slip. Remember: you’re supposed to be taking a break from stress!

1. Prepare in Advance

Preparation is always important when it comes to the holidays, but this time of year creates new challenges. Do not expect things to fall into place. The HR department should keep everyone fully-informed of which members of staff have applied for leave and when.

If there is a particular policy you want to implement regarding the holidays, this should be part of employee contracts. There is no point telling staff at the last minute that they cannot have certain days off! Go about things in the right way and ensure everyone knows what to expect from the company.

It’s also quite common for executives and directors to change positions over Christmas. Make sure you are prepared for these developments in advance. You don’t want to suddenly return in January to find your business doesn’t have the employees to function.

2. Delegation

Not everyone will take the same holidays and it’s important to be aware of this when assigning tasks. To make sure everything is completed before the holidays, make sure work is delegated evenly. 

Delegation isn’t just about knowing ‘who’ to delegate to, but also ‘how much’ to delegate to them. No matter the governance structure of your organisation, those in charge should be aware of which dates those below them are taking off. You don’t want to accidentally schedule a skills audit for a week the Head of HR is taking off.

3. Flexible Working

Flexibility is one of the most important assets your organisation can have. Implementing adaptable policies can future-proof the company. With new Covid variants, working from home seems increasingly more likely during the winter months.

The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed our relationship with the office. Many are still working from home while others have returned to the office. Both come with their own advantages and pitfalls which will be highlighted over the holidays.

If you have not already considered hybrid working solutions, now might be the time. With the disorder that holidays can create, it may be useful to hold hybrid meetings where some participants are at home while others remain in the office.

4. Security

During the holidays, your security may be allowed to slip as the IT and compliance teams are not working full time. Unfortunately, many hackers don’t take holidays. While you are having a meal with your family, your data could be open to breaches.

You cannot ‘make do’ with mediocre security - even during the holidays. Make sure that any company you work with has taken sufficient steps to protect your data.

This is particularly the case if you work with special category data. However, your standards should be more than the bare minimum. Having lax security can threaten your business practices and a breach is not the way you want to start the new year.

5. Communication

When it comes to the holidays, it is more important than ever that everyone knows what is expected of them. If a mistake is made, there may be no one around to fix it. Make sure to get things right the first time.

A Board Portal like Convene can improve communication within your company. Whatever industry you work in, our all-in-one meeting management software is designed to help managers deliver effective policies. 

From creating an agenda to establishing a strong admin trail, every step of the process should be as smooth as possible. With the right software, the complex task of strategic planning can be much easier! Discover the gift of good governance and book a free trial today.