The holiday season has arrived, a time of rest, gifts, and socializing with families. If you and your employees are going on vacation and your business facility remains empty, you can’t relax when you think about what’s going on in it during the holiday season when no one is around. The list of tasks to prepare your facility for closing for the holidays is long, whether it’s a few days or a few weeks. From protecting your data to protecting your building, there are precautions you can take to ensure you get back to work ready to go!
It is common practice for companies to close their doors during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Closing your business for a short time at the end of the year can be beneficial to your employees and the result.
Here are some reasons why companies close their doors during the holidays:
- To save on overheads
- Business partners are not in their offices
- As a reward to employees
- To perform maintenance on your facility
Executing and checking the long list of tasks that need to be done before going on holiday can be stressful because you want to make sure everything is done on time, correctly, and safely. Therefore, our team brings you a list of things that would be desirable to follow before closing the facility for the winter holidays.
GENERAL CHECK
- Update the emergency contact list and place it in a visible place: facility manager, contractors, key contacts
- Remove perishable food from kitchens and break rooms
- Make sure all kitchen equipment, gas, and electric, is switched off
- Leave a notice of absence on the web and email
- Turn off the interior lights
- Empty all waste
OFFICES
- Turn off copiers, printers, projectors, and computers
- Lock desks, filing cabinets, and offices
- Run a backup cycle on computers and servers
- Check that all portable heaters are switched off
OBJECT
- Contact building maintenance contractors
- Set HVAC to power save mode
- Make sure nothing is stacked on the HVAC unit fans
- Turn off all automatic and manual fans
- Make sure all windows are closed and locked
- Set security alarms and notify your security company that your property will be vacant
OUTDOOR
- In case of snow, arrange cleaning
- Schedule a roof inspection with a roofing contractor to prevent leaks
- Ensure that all gutters and drains are cleaned
- Check that all gutters, luminaires, and accessories are securely fastened
- Set the outdoor lights on the timer
Take the time to prepare your facility on time to spend the holidays carefree. Let your employees take care of every aspect of your business: customers, offices, facilities, specialized areas, and security to share responsibilities and ensure nothing is missed.
If the excessive volume of work before the holidays does not allow you to perform a concentrated and detailed inspection of your facility, contact our team of experts so that you can spend your well-deserved winter vacation in peace.
