The holiday season is upon us, which means some well earned time away from practice, either at home or – for those able to – a break away. However, for smaller practices especially, the summer holiday period offers resource constraints, client management, prioritising and extending the work day ahead, and has financial considerations.
Workflow has to be scheduled to avoid gaps in delivery, contractors’ queries need instant responses, and clients need to be reassured that it’s business as usual, or not, as the case may be.
We asked two small practices how they approach the summer holidays to minimise project disruption and make it through unscathed: Dan Rickett, Managing Director of Leamington Spa-based Rickett Architects Ltd (who boasts a seven strong team); and Sasha Edmonds, Founding Director of residential specialist Liv Architects in Norfolk (who numbers four staff members, plus one of the four legged variety).
As a small business, how do you plan ahead for staff shortages during the summer holiday period?
Dan: We use a project management resourcing tool, Total Synergy. Projects are resourced across each month and staff leave is blanked out allowing gaps in delivery to be managed. We have policies that prevent too many key members of staff booking leave at the same time.
Sasha: We’re quite lucky in that our small team has a mix of different family situations, which helps us manage availability without too much overlap during the summer. This diversity really helps with flexibility. We're a close-knit team, and we support each other – rallying around whoever needs the most flexibility at any given time. We’re mindful when planning time off to ensure there’s always at least one project lead available, and we avoid everyone being away at the same time – aside from perhaps the odd day here and there.
Have you made changes to your business hours or services during the summer?
Dan: No. Although we may be more flexible with how our team allocate their hours, our resourcing is deadline lead. When agreeing new project deadlines, shortage of resource due to leave is accounted for.
Sasha: Not formally, but my own working hours change through the summer. I have an eight year old so my day becomes a bit more fragmented around their needs. I tend to work shorter days and then make up time as needed in the evenings. We’ve not found the need to make any sweeping changes.
How do you communicate with clients about reduced availability or slower response times?
Dan: New project deadlines absorb this issue; ongoing projects are managed by leave being booked well in advance in accordance with our policies. Where unforeseen events prejudice project delivery, this is communicated to the client with an explanation as to how we will accelerate delivery to make up any lost time.
Sasha: I include a note in my email signature to give clients a heads-up that my availability can be a bit more limited or irregular during the summer months. If I’m planning any significant time off, I always notify clients well in advance, typically via email, and I also update my voicemail and email signature a week or so beforehand. This gives everyone a chance to get in touch with any urgent queries ahead of time. Since we work exclusively in the domestic homes sector, our clients are often managing similar family and childcare responsibilities themselves, so we’ve found them to be very understanding - they appreciate that while we’re professional, we’re also human. Contractors can be a bit more time sensitive, particularly with site queries that can’t wait; in those situations, it’s invaluable to have a senior team member available to step in and keep things moving.
What tools or systems help you stay responsive to clients during the holidays?
Dan: Our PM software is a great productivity tool; in addition, we allocate a director or senior member of staff to each project and it’s their responsibility to update the client on a regular basis, including when they will not be available and who will be covering project delivery in their absence. There is a handover meeting with project update notes so those who are covering are fully aware of the project status.
Sasha: We always ensure that we all know about all the projects in the office, so even if the project lead isn’t available, someone will have sufficient knowledge to help with any queries arising. We’re very communicative generally and just make sure we keep this as a priority amongst all the other demands on our time.
How do you prioritise tasks when your team is running lean?
Dan: Tasks are prioritised against the agreed targets and invoicing stages. Maintaining fee income is the priority, along with client management and expectations.
Sasha: We plan our workload several months in advance based on confirmed projects, and we always factor in that August and December will naturally be slower periods. During those months, I typically only book us to around 80% of our usual capacity. This gives us the flexibility to manage holidays without overwhelming the team. Site-based work always takes priority to avoid disrupting construction programmes, and we remain responsive to planning departments to prevent delays further down the line. Where possible, we aim to have key projects at natural pause-points, such as being submitted to Planning or Building Control, by the start of the holiday period.
Are there any tasks or projects you intentionally pause or delay during the summer?
Dan: Not specifically. We would not prioritise any research or development projects, but will focus on fee earning schemes.
Sasha: We always speak to our clients to understand their own movements during the summer months. We have some clients who take significant time out themselves in August, and so there’s no point us prioritising their projects if they’re not around to engage with. Our work schedule will help with this.
Do you find summer a good time for strategic planning or internal work?
Dan: Summer can be an opportunity to review the year to date and make any strategic decisions for the rest of the calendar year, due to the whole industry becoming quieter. This is a director level activity and allows some fresh ideas in Q3 and Q4.
Sasha: This doesn’t seem to work particularly for us. Given our reduced capacity, we are generally very busy so I tend to schedule this for the end of the year, or around the end of the financial year; whenever we find ourselves with a naturally quiet point.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about managing summer holidays in a small business?
Dan: Have the best tools at hand and plan; be rigorous about applying policies regarding how and when leave is booked. Talk to clients about their own plans over the summer and see if there are projects and tasks that they will agree to pull forward in order that the remainder of the year can be as productive as possible.
Sasha: Communication is the most critical aspect. We have never had an issue with a client not being understanding of our needs (as people) during the summer, provided they are kept in the loop and given plenty of notice of time out or disrupted working patterns. I am a huge advocate for work/life balance for myself and my team, and never expect any of my team to be available on phone or email to anyone (myself included!) when they are not scheduled to be working. We find that once they know that, our clients respect those boundaries.
Thanks to Dan Rickett, Rickett Architects, and Sasha Edmonds, Liv Architects.
Text by Neal Morris. This is a Professional Feature edited by the RIBA Practice team. Send us your feedback and ideas.
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