Many managers dread the months of June, July, and August. It’s not that they begrudge their hard working employees their summer vacations. They certainly recognize just how badly most of their people need a break and realize the importance of heading off burn-out.

It’s just that having even one person missing from the team for a week can be a big hassle for everyone. Why?

Because cross-training just isn’t happening.

Oh, I know you don’t have time to cross-train. But when you have employees who are the only ones who know how to perform certain tasks or are the soul sources of information regarding key systems, clients, or projects, you’re in trouble. When these people are gone, work often grinds to a halt. Other employees scramble around trying to handle things that just can’t wait, but that often requires pestering their absent co-worker with questions via e-mail or cell phone: “I’m so sorry to have to bother you, but can you tell me where we keep the customer file for XYZ Company? Oh, and as long as I have you on the phone, they’re a few other things we can’t figure out ….”

Even worse, team members often tell me they dread returning from time off because of the mountains of work awaiting them, not to mention the mistakes they have to correct and the “emergency” issues they’re bombarded with the first day back.

But it doesn’t have to be this difficult for anybody on the team. Not the manager, not the other team members, and definitely not for the employee who’s supposed to be enjoying a little R&R.

So here’s one way around it: The Vacation Action Plan.

About three weeks before departure, any team member who’s taking a week or more off at one time prepares a checklist of all the areas where he or she needs to cross-train someone in the department prior to leaving. This list should include items such as:

• Workspace Overview. Make sure someone else knows where to find key files, project records, client information, telephone lists, etc. If the employee has upcoming meetings or other activities scheduled that others are involved in, it’s also helpful to make sure someone can access their calendar in case questions arise about these events.
• Project Status Report. This is a list of all projects the employee currently has in the works, where they stand, and a designated person who can answer questions about each in the employee’s absence.
• Instructions for Key Job Functions. If there are tasks that must be performed while the employee is away, a back-up should be selected, trained, and given written instructions ahead of time.
• Pending Issues. This includes a list of all current problems the employee is working on resolving or decisions he or she is involved in making. The manager, in particular, needs to be in the loop on these activities.
• A List of Commonly Asked Questions. This should be a list of the most frequent things the employee is called upon to address in the job. Another employee should be briefed on how to answer them.
• Vacation E-mail Reminder. The employee should draft and distribute an e-mail about a week prior to departure letting both internal and external contacts know his or her upcoming vacation dates. Doing this in advance (as opposed to just preparing an out-of-office e-mail or voicemail response message) gives people time to touch base before the employee leaves with any questions or requests.

Once the checklist is drafted, manager and employee meet to make sure it’s complete and to decide who’s the best person to assign as a back-up for items requiring one. Then the employee systematically begins working through the plan over the next few weeks, updating the manager on progress. A day or so before departing for vacation, the employee does a final check-in with the manager to make sure everything’s been accomplished. My guess is both will feel a pretty positive sense of relief knowing that both the department and the company can now successfully survive for a week with someone gone.

Finally, notice that while some things on this list require actual cross-training to perform a task, most involve simply communicating information ahead of time that others might need. It’s silly to have to drag someone out of vacation mode to ask him or her whether a vendor’s invoice has been paid or how to get in touch with a particular client who left a message but no telephone number.

Do you have a successful plan for covering for employee’s while they’re on vacation? Or do you muddle along and pester them long-distance more than you’d like to admit? Tell us how you handle this vacation challenge in the comment section below.

Janna Mansker is vice president of client services for Berke, a human resources consulting firm, where she leads the company’s education initiatives and advocates for clients. She can be reached at janna@berkegroup.com.