Do You Have a Plan?

We all have key staff members with unique knowledge, deep knowledge, of our business and its internal processes— I have several!

What if one of those key people had a life-changing event and became unavailable? Sound like I’m trying to be dramatic? Keep reading… Five years ago I was one of those people, and I have to tell you, our staff was outstanding, above and beyond; I am so blessed! How did we weather that storm? I have to ask; do you have procedures for critical functions? If you needed someone to come in and run your payroll, and you called Syscon, do you have the passwords for the EFT site? Do you have a procedure that your backup person could follow? What about the person that does your billing; do you have the rates and unique guidelines documented so someone else could get the invoicing out? If you couldn’t sign the checks, do you have a backup plan? Does your staff know which attorney to call, and what plans are in place if the owner were in a car accident or worse?

No one wants to discuss worst-case scenarios but planning ahead is so important. Consider what critical roles would need to be covered if a staff person were unavailable; do you have a procedure that could be followed? Do you know all the things that person touches? This is a reminder that life sends us unexpected curves. Take this opportunity to tell your staff how valuable they are, and get their critical tasks in writing, for you, and for them. —CMW