The Boss Is on Vacation—and You’re Not
As summer approaches, many managers head for the hills—and employees’ job descriptions change drastically. How that can create both opportunities and chaos.
The boss is heading to Hawaii, on a tour of Paris, or to a cabin in an undisclosed location. And the staff that thinks life’s about to get easier may end up deeply disappointed.
As summer approaches, managers are among the nearly 200 million US adults who will take some time off. And with companies culling managers in recent years (and often doubling the survivors’ direct reports), a vacation may be well deserved. But experts say the remaining workers often find that the absence creates a void that’s not easy to fill, as Joe in accounting announces he’s quitting, or a project stalls while awaiting sign-off, or an easy-peasy outreach initiative unexpectedly blows up. “A layer of coordination is taken away, and for the boss’s team, that cuts both ways,” says engagement expert Mark Royal, senior client partner at Korn Ferry.
To be sure, many workers enjoy having more freedom. Indeed, a third of workers say they get more done when the boss is out, according to one survey. Freed from the regular one-on-ones, the steady drip of questions, and many meetings, they find that time to focus opens up. Many workers also use the opportunity to jump into higher-level assignments that demonstrate more of their skill sets.
But gone, too, are the fast answers and clear direction that ambiguous decisions require. Without a point person, lines of authority fray. Big decisions can usually wait until the boss returns; it’s the small ones that quietly bog everyone down: Do we have approval to reach out to the client? Can this project be announced yet? Is it okay to place this order? “Lack of decision-making authority really slows things down,” says Lisa Harrison, associate client partner in the Healthcare advisory practice at Korn Ferry.
In ideal circumstances, experts say, a chief of staff (or someone in a similar number-two role) will take the reins while the boss is away. That creates a one-stop shop: Employees know exactly who to consult for approvals, escalations, or emergency boss access. All authority is delegated to the chief of staff, and everyone knows when and how to find that person; for their part, the chief of staff knows when to contact (and not contact) the boss. “That’s an easy situation, and it really works well,” says Lucy Bosworth, senior client partner at Korn Ferry.
What actually makes it work isn’t the chief of staff per se—it’s the crisp, unambiguous delegation of authority (DOA) behind the role. That’s what firms that successfully handle boss vacations have in common. Formal DOAs are familiar arrangements in finance, where the FDIC requires employees in high-risk positions to take at least one five-day break annually with no colleague communication. As a result, finance firms know that every senior leader will, at some point, be entirely unreachable for a full week. During those absences, strong and clear authority delegations are in place. Other industries could take notes, says Bosworth. “It’s good hygiene to force people to take time off,” she says.
In the absence of a strong number two, experts recommend equipping the team to function independently while the boss is gone. Think of boss vacations as a semiannual development opportunity—a chance for employees to temporarily step into decision-making roles, says Tamara Rodman, senior client partner in the Culture, Change and Communications practice at Korn Ferry. “It’s when people are forced into the hot seat that they sometimes learn the most,” she says.
For individual employees, the trick is having a plan for when a big decision can’t wait. “Most people have figured out work-arounds,” says benefits expert Ron Seifert, senior client partner at Korn Ferry—such as firing off a text to the boss that lays out the situation, along with the move you’re proposing. This protects the employee on multiple fronts: It documents the issue, and it allows the boss to render their verdict from the beach. “Let him object rather than approve,” says Seifert.
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