This Is What Happens When I Take A Day Off!!! Options

[gael]

I cannot even believe what happens when I'm gone. I'm trying really hard not to be a workaholic, but today just reinforced that I cannot leave these people alone.
Anyway, today I called in because my dear daughter is sick, and couldn't go to day camp. Monday is usually a pretty quiet day. So I left my house to take some recycling down the road and come home to a message about how the electricity is acting up, smells of things on fire. So they called the fire department!!! The fire department comes racing down the road sirens on kicks everybody out (so now I'm giving away free treatments). Turns out it was a neck pillow in the MICROWAVE that was on fire!! The "electrical" problem was this : if you don't turn the sauna temperature up, gee it won't get hot enough. I have no idea what to say to these girls tomorrow, this NEVER would have happened if I had been there. What would you do tomorrow if this was your business? I just feel like I can't have a day off.

[Jaya Savannah]

I can empathize. Your story reminds me of one time when one of my employees caught a neck pillow on fire in the microwave. That didn't go so far as calling the fire department in, but the ensuing panic was a lesson that the staff learned from.

Ultimately, you have to allow for the fact that mistakes will happen when you're not there. If you never leave for fear of disaster, you really become a prisoner to what might happen, more than what actually does happen. After this particular episode, is a good time to make sure you have a good set of emergency contingency plans in place. Go through the "what if" scenarios and make sure people know what to do. Although the chaos your biz suffered had a cost associated with it, imagine if it was a real fire. Make sure they understand how to handle real emergencies, and how to screen out for what might not constitute an actual disaster.

The best you can do is use this as a teaching story for them.

[gael]

I can empathize. Your story reminds me of one time when one of my employees caught a neck pillow on fire in the microwave. That didn't go so far as calling the fire department in, but the ensuing panic was a lesson that the staff learned from.

Ultimately, you have to allow for the fact that mistakes will happen when you're not there. If you never leave for fear of disaster, you really become a prisoner to what might happen, more than what actually does happen. After this particular episode, is a good time to make sure you have a good set of emergency contingency plans in place. Go through the "what if" scenarios and make sure people know what to do. Although the chaos your biz suffered had a cost associated with it, imagine if it was a real fire. Make sure they understand how to handle real emergencies, and how to screen out for what might not constitute an actual disaster.

The best you can do is use this as a teaching story for them.

You are right, I do need an emergency plan. I just don't feel like common sense was used. Especially with the sauna. I am planning to cut back my hours. Ever since I decided that I get a new wake up call about the procedures, systems, plans that I need to have daily.

[Lisa@Preston]

I feel for you Gael! Getting all your standard operating procedures documented and in a binder for everyone to access is a must if you don't have the already. You'll get there!

That said, back in the day we had three separate 2 a.m. calls from the fire department, all for real fires, all within 3-4 months. The culprit? Towels spontaneously combusting because the natural detergent being used wasn't getting all the oil out after Shirodhara treatments. Anyway much damage had to be repaired from those so you are indeed lucky that, annoying and inconvenient as it was, you got a chance to tighten up your systems before anything truly heinous happens!

[nathan]

Having decent operating procedures in place is essential if you want to be able to take a day away knowing your staff are going to be able to cope.

In terms of the Sauna its well worth getting the system set up so that its turned on or off by a trip switch (I think you call them breakers in the US) so that the temperature setting does not have to be adjusted. I suspect your sauna probably has a twist switch to turn it on and the staff didnt turn it high enough.

Another thing you might want to use are opening and closing checklists. I have attached (hopefully) some from a large Health Club and Spa project I worked on in Egypt. Some of the things seem obvious but you have to account for the lowest common denominator hence every key item has to be checked, commented and then signed for.

Staff accountability gives a feeling of importance to the people you leave in charge as you are trusting them with your business, use that empowerment in the right way and they will do a great job.

Nathan


 067_OpeningChklist.pdf ( 44.04k ) Number of downloads: 138
 068_ClosingChklist.pdf ( 44.85k ) Number of downloads: 167

[Jaya Savannah]

More resources for you Gael:

Preston Inc has customizable templates for your Standard Operating Procedures manual, employee handbooks, etc. They are VERY easy to use, as the basic information is already laid out for you. You simply edit the document in Microsoft Word, making your decisions/policies as you go about completing it. Then print it out, put it in a binder, and train your staff.

These tools make management MUCH easier and saves you time & money over doing it yourself or hiring a consultant to create them for you. I have all my clients use these tools!

http://www.prestoninc.net/HTML/Pages_New/resources.htm

Lisa: Great learning example about the Shirodara oils and the towels! Some things just aren't obvious, until you hear about what went wrong from someone else.

[gael]

Having decent operating procedures in place is essential if you want to be able to take a day away knowing your staff are going to be able to cope.

In terms of the Sauna its well worth getting the system set up so that its turned on or off by a trip switch (I think you call them breakers in the US) so that the temperature setting does not have to be adjusted. I suspect your sauna probably has a twist switch to turn it on and the staff didnt turn it high enough.

Another thing you might want to use are opening and closing checklists. I have attached (hopefully) some from a large Health Club and Spa project I worked on in Egypt. Some of the things seem obvious but you have to account for the lowest common denominator hence every key item has to be checked, commented and then signed for.

Staff accountability gives a feeling of importance to the people you leave in charge as you are trusting them with your business, use that empowerment in the right way and they will do a great job.

Nathan
 067_OpeningChklist.pdf ( 44.04k ) Number of downloads: 138
 068_ClosingChklist.pdf ( 44.85k ) Number of downloads: 167

Thanks, I like the idea of a daily list. Is it better to have one person do the whole list or have each person on staff responsible for a few areas?

More resources for you Gael:

Preston Inc has customizable templates for your Standard Operating Procedures manual, employee handbooks, etc. They are VERY easy to use, as the basic information is already laid out for you. You simply edit the document in Microsoft Word, making your decisions/policies as you go about completing it. Then print it out, put it in a binder, and train your staff.

These tools make management MUCH easier and saves you time & money over doing it yourself or hiring a consultant to create them for you. I have all my clients use these tools!

http://www.prestoninc.net/HTML/Pages_New/resources.htm

Lisa: Great learning example about the Shirodara oils and the towels! Some things just aren't obvious, until you hear about what went wrong from someone else.

Thanks, I've been thinking about ordering these. Why try to reinvent the wheel, right?

[nathan]

"Thanks, I like the idea of a daily list. Is it better to have one person do the whole list or have each person on staff responsible for a few areas?"

1 person in the morning, 1 in the evening with a handover between duty manager shifts.

If too many people are carrying out checks then its easier to miss bits, keep the responsibility with your most trusted staff and they will feel more valued. It also gives newer staff something to aim at as well.

Nathan

[nina]

I don't wish these experiences on anyone, Gael, but I am learning alot from this thread and the responses it has "sparked".

I appreciate the Checklists, Nathan! I had my first form Staff Training (indeed!) yesterday, and I found there is still so much that I wasn't able to cover. So, each day I'm spending a few moments with each individual employee, taking about 15 minutes to describe a procedure. They are all mentioned in their Employee Manuals that they received, but it makes more sense to show them.
Continuing this topic on another thread...

Thanks for sharing. It's comforting to know that someone else is in the midst of employee issues. I am hiring lots of fresh employees, myself. I feel confident that I hired employees who are clue-endowed; they might not be perfect, but I don't suspect that firetrucks are showing up, either. I send you good wishes, Gael.

Nina