The Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays both fall on the
weekend this year. For many large businesses, that’s a perfect excuse to shut
down for the week and let employees recharge for 2012. But small business
owners don’t necessarily have that luxury. In some cases, the slow week is the
perfect opportunity to catch up.
A recent survey of small business owners by RingCentral
asked if they planned to take time off. Of those polled, very few were planning
to completely unplug. Fourteen percent planned to take a legitimate vacation;
the rest intend to maintain some level of activity. In fact, many look at the
week as the perfect time to get up to speed on administrative tasks and
long-term planning. And with many small business owners believing that the
economy is on the cusp of a noticeable rebound, no one wants to get caught
unprepared.
When it comes to vacation, the core difference between the
large business employee and the small business owner could be psychological.
For the corporate employee, a week off is time to not commute, to not have
meetings, and to spend with family. Many small business owners look at that
week as a potential loss of billable hours. Accepting that you’re losing a
calculable amount of revenue can be difficult to accept. Whether your clients
are at their jobs is irrelevant. If you’ve been
contracted to complete a project, delivering the results is the top priority.
What are your plans for the week between Christmas and New
Year’s Day? Will you be taking time off or working a reduced schedule?
