A reader writes:
I personal a small enterprise with six full-time staff. One in all my staff, my bookkeeper Leah, has grandchildren and has not too long ago requested to work part-time (two days off, three days on) in summers so she will be able to spend extra time with them.
She is an efficient, long-standing worker. Nonetheless, this actually presents many challenges for our small firm — primarily, protection for her throughout a brief time frame and the way we are going to fill that position and/or cowl the job duties of any staff who’re overlaying for her. Her position is exclusive (and he or she has entry to all of our financials) so discovering temp assist throughout this time will likely be difficult and probably dangerous. That is going to be considerably tough to handle on a week-to-week foundation and actually solely advantages the worker, not the employer. What would you do?
If it doesn’t give you the results you want and also you’re prepared to threat shedding her over it, you possibly can clarify to Leah that it’s not doable for her place. From there, it’s as much as her to resolve if she nonetheless desires the job, understanding these are the constraints.
Nonetheless, earlier than you do this, be sure you’ve thought by means of the next questions:
• Are you prepared to lose Leah over this? There’ll all the time be instances when the reply to that’s sure, and that’s okay. Otherwise you would possibly understand that whereas it might be inconvenient to accommodate her on this approach, it might be extra inconvenient to have to rent and practice somebody new. Or it may not! I can’t inform what the reply is, however be sure you’ve actually thought this by means of first, since that is what all of it comes right down to.
• How tough would Leah be to exchange? That shouldn’t govern all the choice because you’ll lose each worker ultimately, whether or not it’s to a different job, retirement, alien abduction, or so on, and it’s best to by no means really feel so hamstrung by the concept of getting to exchange somebody that you just comply with issues that don’t make sense for the enterprise … however you additionally shouldn’t reject worker requests with out giving severe thought to this query first.
• Are there inventive methods to make it work? For instance, perhaps two days per week off each single week of summer season can be exhausting to say sure to, however all of August is actually sluggish and Leah may take off an enormous quantity of it with out a lot influence. Or perhaps there’s a proficient junior one who’s been asking for stretch alternatives and can be delighted to fill in for Leah and their work can be simpler to seek out temp protection for. Or who is aware of what — but when Leah is a long-standing worker who’s achieved good work, it is sensible to see if there’s a option to get you each what you need. Possibly there isn’t — however give it some thought first.
Additionally, generally with questions like this, individuals will say, “Don’t say sure except you’ll be prepared to supply the identical factor to others who ask for it.” That’s price excited about too, nevertheless it shouldn’t be your main driver. Generally it is sensible to exit of your option to accommodate somebody who does nice work and can be tough to exchange, even once you wouldn’t do it in any other case. You simply have to be ready to be clear about these causes if different staff ask, and to face by these causes (and also you additionally have to be certain it’s actually performance-based and role-based, and that you just don’t develop patterns the place, curiously, everybody who will get particular perks are the identical race/intercourse/and so forth.).
