I run a small marketing agency with two contractors helping out with client work and day-to-day operations since I also work full-time. In about a month, I’m planning to take maternity leave for about 8 weeks from the business. My team has been very reliable, and I felt confident handing over things for a while, expecting they’d need me occasionally. But recently, they’ve become less reliable, with me doing their work or getting no responses to messages. When I bring it up, I hear excuses but see no improvement. I’m stressed as maternity leave gets closer. I’m not sure I have the time or energy to train new people. Should I rethink my leave or do I need a new approach? Any suggestions?
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Your main priority should be taking care of yourself and your baby. Do you know any other agencies nearby that you could partner with temporarily to help with client work? Have you considered hiring full-time employees? When I joined the marketing agency I work with, we switched from contractors to full-timers, and the team was much more reliable.
Maybe they’ve been unreliable because they have other gigs or could afford to quit. Are they trying to cut you out while you’re away? You might need to find someone you trust to take over or make sure your clients are looked after. Could you take a shorter leave or figure out a way to keep the business running without you for a while?
@Westley
That’s possible. They all have other clients, so maybe they are sticking around for now or focusing on bigger clients. I might need to think about finding someone reliable to take over. The hard part is training and getting them up to speed in time.
Maybe your expectations were different before, and now that you’re about to leave, you’re seeing how your contractors really perform. It’s tough to take time off when you run a small business. It might be better to put things on hold or continue working while you’re on your ‘leave.’ You may not really get time off in the traditional sense.
@Shiloh
Good point! I need to rethink things. This is my first child, so I’m not sure how much time away I should really take.
What exactly do you need help with? I work with a marketing agency too, maybe I can help.
Lake said:
What exactly do you need help with? I work with a marketing agency too, maybe I can help.
I mainly need help with my virtual assistant. She does post scheduling, email management, and occasionally graphics for the company, which could be handed off to my social media manager. It’s very important stuff, like social posts for clients that have to go out on time.
I also own a marketing agency. If your team has been with you for years, I’d give them one more chance and have a serious talk. Tell them if things don’t improve, you’ll look for others who can help while you’re on maternity leave. It’s possible to find people to help for a couple of months. How big is your agency? Is it a small or larger operation?
@Kade
It’s very small, only about $4,000 a month with two clients, which is why I thought I could leave it to them. I agree that I need to have that conversation soon, maybe today.
It’s tough relying on contractors for everyday tasks. They’re usually hired for specific projects, not for ongoing work.
Relying on contractors can be tricky. You don’t commit to them by making them employees, and they often don’t show the same level of commitment back.