By Tom Starner,
Human Resource Executive For large companies, an unexpected leave of absence is typically a blip on the radar screen. But for small businesses, losing one or two workers, especially if they are top performers, can cause a serious productivity drain. According to some HR experts, being unprepared for such an event is akin to not having a survival plan in place should a natural disaster strike. Small employers, in fact, can use benefits and other strategy—such as cross-training or telecommuting—to lessen the productivity losses such a scenario could produce. Jason Johnson, managing partner at Kaye/Bassman International, a Dallas-based executive search and recruitment firm, says the first thing an employer should do, especially with smaller companies, is to acknowledge the loss. “Just assure the remaining employees and company clients that the loss will be absorbed and life will go on,” he says. The next step is to decide what will be done to fill this void, followed by making everyone aware of the execution of the plan. Johnson says that while this may seem obvious, it is rarely successfully put into practice when the times comes because most small firms tend to be more emotionally attached to the employee. “That’s fine for a short time, but long-term, it will very seriously affect morale, which affects productivity, which affects future business,” he says. In terms of a proactive plan for unexpected leaves, every employer, no matter how small, must have one, Johnson says. “We can’t do anything to prevent tornados, but we can develop and execute tornado drills,” he says. “A small business owner needs to have a plan should a top performer (or any well-liked individual) take an unexplained leave of absence for any given period of time.” “That way, when the day comes … and it will … stability will remain in place,” he adds. What type of plan can work? For starters, Matt Thomas, president of Indianapolis-based WorkSmart Systems Inc., a professional employer organization, says small employers should maintain enough operational staffing capacity to handle current client-service needs, plus 10 percent growth—even during tough economic times. It could hurt short-term profitability, but not nearly as much as losing clients or having stressed, unhappy employees because of understaffing. Another key strategy is to cross-train workers throughout the organization, so there always is a back-up that ensures critical functions are never offline. Finally, small employers should try to provide flexibility, especially for critical, high-performer positions. Thomas says that thefollowing accommodations can be very effective: • Flexible hours. • Opportunity to work part-time until ready to come back full-time. • Remote access or home-office capability, with the understanding that it is a temporary arrangement. “Providing flexibility in these situations can build loyalty with all employees, help the affected employee by having work to focus on, decrease disability costs, and eliminate the huge cost and headache of replacing a valued employee,” Thomas says. Tom Starner is a freelance writer with Human Resource Executive®. Copyright 2011© Human Resource Executive® The opinions expressed in the New York Times and Human Resource Executive articles are the opinions of those publications and do not reflect the opinions of MetLife or its affiliates.
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