With the right technology, work life is a beach

The countless number of tasks to pass over to employees and the never-ending “to-do” list means that holidays can end up at the bottom of the list of priorities. Taking a holiday in some cases is more stress than it’s worth.

I’ve been there myself, often it’s the moment I sit on the plane and buckle up the seatbelt, my brain suddenly reminds me of a task I should have completed before I left the office. We are all human and, with many handovers to send out to colleagues in preparation for a week or two of holiday, there are some tasks that slip through the net before you have switched off.

From our research, we know 34 per cent of SME owners worry about handing over the reins to other staff and, for those who cannot switch off, having piece of mind they can have a view of all the goings on at their business from a remote location can be comforting.

No longer do SME owners need to be on the shop floor or behind their desk to be the eyes and ears of the business. Technology has allowed for flexible and remote working whether you’re at home on your couch, sunning yourself by the pool, taking the kids to the zoo or simply having a BBQ in your back garden.

Read more on remote working:

• Fed up with morning blues? Quit the rat race and run your business from a beach
• MediaCom among 50 UK firms that want your business to embrace flexible working

Utilise the cloud

As technology and apps change the way we live our busy lives, it makes sense that businesses should take advantage of their potential too. That’s why we were surprised to find out that 60 per cent of SMEs aren’t utilising cloud computing at all.

The benefits of utilising this technology far outweigh any negatives, so the lack of adoption from SMEs could be due to a lack of awareness of cloud products available for businesses.

Time away is precious for SME owners, and time spent worrying and “checking-in” with staff on holiday is not ideal when you’re trying to recharge your batteries. Cloud computing and technology allow for remote working, so business owners can manage their stock, finances, staff and general business tasks from just about anywhere – making for a better work-life balance.

Why spend time worrying when you could utilise cloud technology and check in on the business quickly, easily and unobtrusively via a tailored app?

As well as enabling remote access and insight, users can also download apps to help them with everything from tracking their inventory to managing accounts, stock and staff. With all this going on in the background, SME owners can rest assured that important day-to-day tasks are being handled automatically in their absence as well as tracking the business daily during day to day operations.

Technology can also provide SME owners with useful data-led insights allowing them to better understand their business and their customers, freeing them up to refocus their time on strategic, growth activities that should be at the forefront of a business owners thinking.

By taking advantage of the benefits technology can bring to your working life, there is no reason to be hesitant in booking that trip away!

Raj Sond is general manager at First Data

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Image: Shutterstock

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