Workin’ for a Living! Small Business Owners (Working at) Home For the Holidays

No matter what your religion or nationality may be, in the U.S., the holidays are traditionally a time to take a break and observe a few days of rest with family and friends.

That’s the tradition, anyway — but that tradition predates mobile phones, the Internet, and other modern methods of staying on top of business, even when you’re not in the office.

And a recent report shows that most small business owners plan on doing just that — staying plugged into their businesses over the holidays.

According to Business Insider, almost three-quarters of U.S. small business owners say they’ll be working more this holiday season than in the past. The report breaks down the figures as follows:

Do you expect to work more during this holiday season than last year?

• YES – 70.4 percent
• NO – 29. 6 percent

During the holidays, will you take work calls on your mobile phone?

• YES – 86.2 percent
• NO – 13.8 percent

Will your company be more flexible this holiday season than in the past in allowing employees to work remotely?

• YES – 73.4 percent
• NO – 26.6 percent

The report also reveals the “sad fact” that “only 14 percent of business owners said they planned on taking a ‘true’ vacation where they could completely unplug from work.”

It also shows that the vast majority of small business owners (87.7 percent) believe technology will be more prevalent in their business in the next three years. The report was compiled from a survey of about 300 small to mid-size business owners, as conducted by RingCentral. Check it out here.

It’s doubtful that these numbers will come as a surprise to most small business owners. After all, opportunity doesn’t take holidays, and the business owner who stays plugged in during normal off-hours stands a better chance of succeeding in the long run.

So, here’s to new opportunities in the New Year — and not letting them slip by in the final weeks of this one.

This topic and more are included in the Vistage Connect™ CEO peer advisory sessions. Learn more.

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