With the summer holidays now underway, you might be thinking about taking a well-earned break either to spend time with the little one’s or maybe to soak up the small amounts of British sun! Whatever your reason, one of the biggest benefits of working as a limited company contractor is the increased flexibility when it comes to your work schedule, but this time off still requires planning. Here are some key things to keep in mind to ensure a smooth departure and return.
Utilising your extra flexibility
Unlike permanent employees, as a limited company contractor you have more control over your working hours and holiday plans. This flexibility is a key benefit of contracting, allowing you to take time off around when it suits you and your personal life, without needing to go through a lengthy approval loop. However, you may want to keep time off mid-contract to a sensible amount as you still have to complete the agreed work in the agreed time.
Give notice
While you’re not required to request permission for time off in the same way an employee would, it’s good professional practice to let your end client know as early as possible, or even at the start of the contract. Clients will appreciate your openness and are far more likely to be accommodating of your plans if they’re given sufficient notice. You’ll probably appear more organised, earning you even more goodwill.
It’s important to be clear about the dates you’ll be away, what you’ll aim to complete before you’re away, and what impact your absence might have on current projects. The earlier you have this conversation, the easier it will be to manage expectations on both sides. It’s best practice to give yourself an extra day or two more than you initially thought as a buffer for any delays in travelling home.
Set boundaries
Before you go away, it’s important to set boundaries with your end client about timescales for responses or whether they’ll be able to reach you at all. Once your time off has begun, stick to it. It can be tempting to check in, respond to emails, or even jump onto a quick call while you're away, but that can quickly eat into your downtime and reduce time with family or friends. Setting clear boundaries helps you recharge properly and shows clients you take your professional wellbeing seriously.
If you're worried about being unavailable to clients, adding an out-of-office to your emails advises anyone contacting you when you’ll return and when they can expect their message to be picked up. This is also a good fail-safe for anything urgent so it can be redirected to another relevant person.
Get ahead before you go
A smooth break starts with strong preparation period. Use the run up to your time off to complete as much as possible. Tie up loose ends, close out those smaller tasks, and document anything that might be helpful in your absence.
This not only makes your departure smoother, but it also showcases your professionalism, which your clients value. Remember, it’s crucial to leave a good impression throughout the contract as it could in turn result in repeat contracts or word of mouth recommendations.
Leave a handover
Even if your role is relatively independent, or specialist where you’re the only person who can fulfil its tasks a short handover document can go a long way. Include key contacts, project status updates and any urgent actions that might need to be picked up. This gives your client peace of mind and reduces the likelihood of being contacted while you're away.
Taking time off over summer can leave you with time to recharge and spend valuable time with the family. PayStream specialises in providing accountancy services for contractors and freelancers, taking the stress away from you whilst you’re away. So, you can rest assured that your finances are taken care of while you’re recharging. Contact our team at info@paystream.co.uk or call us at 0161 222 4995 (option 1).
