Every business has key employee’s whom hold valuable knowledge, yet most of that knowledge is never documented.
This of course from the same people that drive into their employees and clients about documenting anything and everything, there is no excuse.
So what we really say is “Do as we say, not as we do?”
Consider doing the following in your organization:
In a perfect world, it would suggested doing this quarterly, however at least start with once or twice a year. Yes, a vacation. Finances and other items will always determine how your company can do this, but start small and build up as allowed.
Your key personnel, they are invaluable in many ways. Also they are usually overworked, when tends to cause their performance to suffer. Everyone needs time off.
Schedule time off for the key personnel in your company. FORCE them to take a vacation. NO EMAIL, NO PHONE CALLS, just pure TIME OFF! Enforce this amongst everyone while they are gone!
Why? Because they will be coming back!
Still confused?
We want issues to come up. It’s desired! Keep an issues list so once they return, it can be reviewed, one item at a time. The only way this works is to NOT bother them during their time away.
Once they return, perform a debriefing, running through each of the issues that came up while they were away. Update the documentation / SOP’s then do it again after the next vacation.
Too many times we take things for granted, only after someone passes or is terminated do the issues appear, but unfortunately it’s too late then as there is no one to discuss them with. By regularly doing this process, it allows continual building of your procedures and processes.
